Over Lent, we are featuring ministry partners who received a Blacknall Grant in October. View a full list of Durham ministry partners here.
Reflection from volunteer physician and Blacknall member Martha Carlough
I've had the privilege of being a part of Samaritan Health Center since its inception - praying for the SHC's role in the community, caring for patients as I volunteer as a physician, and helping with protocols and planning as part of the Clinical Operations Committee. Samaritan Health Center fills an important gap in our community - serving those with very limited access to health care for many reasons - those who are underemployed or unemployed and fall through health insurance gaps, immigrants and refugees, and those who are recovering from addictions and out of homelessness. We work as a team together to offer care and partner for better health in Christ's name.
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A note from Elizabeth Brill, Samaritan Health Center Executive Director
Dear Blacknall Friends,
Thank you for your partnership with Samaritan Health Center since 2008! Our mission is to share the love of Christ by serving those in need through health care. We provide medical, vision, and limited dental services to uninsured and underinsured community members. Our welcoming, high-quality patient care is offered through a multilingual staff/volunteer team and community partnerships that broaden advocacy for the underserved.
As you can imagine, our work has changed dramatically over the last year! We have spent a lot of time navigating telehealth, adapting volunteer roles for those who couldn't come in, and laboring to address our patients' food and housing needs as their employment status changed...while also striving to further their physical, mental, and spiritual flourishing. These efforts allowed us to care for 757 patients in 8 different languages, providing $1.79 million in direct and indirect clinical services. 14 families received more than $30,000 combined in housing/utilities assistance, and 7 enrolled for home produce deliveries, through community partnerships.
Blacknall's gift to SHC supported our administrative staff's work in these areas, and opened up two additional donor matches for us at year end. You're also allowing us to dream further in the next year about more comprehensive services for our patients, and continued collaborations with our community partners. Blacknall members Susie Meghdadpour and Alicia Ramos are involved in these conversations as members of our Board, while SHC staff members Paul Van Tongeren, Lenore Brown, and myself are all worshiping with you as congregants.
We would welcome your prayers for our patients' flourishing, for our staff's health and unity in the work, for vision as we plan for the coming years, and for humility and sensitivity to honor Christ in our conversations and partnerships.
If you'd like to volunteer, please visit our website! In early 2021, our primary onsite needs are for physicians and nurses. Our virtual volunteering needs include interpreting, communications, and data management.
You can meet our patients and team in this video and view an invitation in Spanish here.
We are grateful for you!
Elizabeth Brill