FEATURE
Shawnee Mission Medical Center Gives Back Courtesy SMMC
By Kelsey Perry
Healthcare is more than helping sick people get healthy. It should also be about keeping healthy people well. As a part of the Adventist Health System, Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC) embraces the concept of CREATION Health in its foundation of care. Biblically based CREATION Health is comprised of eight principles for helping people experience full health in every aspect of life. The word CREATION is an acronym for Choice, Rest, Environment, Activity, Trust, Interpersonal relationships, Outlook and Nutrition. With CREATION Health at its core, SMMC’s mission of “improving health through Christian service” involves benefiting the community physically, socially, mentally and spiritually. As a result, SMMC is involved in numerous faith-based and community programs. Twice a year SMMC sponsors Camp Bluebird, a three-day retreat for adults in the community diagnosed 12
with cancer. The event is a chance for campers to share experiences and receive support from other cancer patients. Health professionals who volunteer at Camp Bluebird aim to live out the mission of SMMC to heal the human spirit as well as the body. The camp is held near Parkville, Missouri at Heartland Presbyterian Retreat Center, which offers hiking and horse riding trails, campfire and picnic facilities, indoor recreation areas and a chapel. “It is a chance for cancer patients to get away and to just feel normal for a few days,” said Mark Stoddart, administrative director of Spiritual Wellness at SMMC. SMMC also hosts a variety of free support groups, including one in grief recovery for those who have suffered loss of a loved one. Sessions are available three times a year for a five-week period. Participants begin their healing journey by exploring issues such as the stages of grief, and learning to grow throughout
OUTLOOKMAG.ORG DECEMBER 2011
the grief process. Additionally, Stoddart said the hospital facilitates an active physician/clergy dialogue. Physicians from SMMC meet with local clergy once a month to discuss how to incorporate a spiritual dimension into patient treatment. The hospital also provides spiritual support, from premarital counseling and staff meeting devotionals to crisis intervention for all of its associates. “My mom used to tell me, ‘Dance at home before you dance abroad,’” Stoddart said. “Meaning you have to focus on improving yourself before you can go out and reach others.” Stoddart explained that by offering spiritual support for the hospital’s associates, SMMC can positively impact a greater number of people. Staff members properly supported in their faith can take that spiritual encouragement into every interaction they have with patients as well as the community. Many hospital associates volunteer with neighborhood organizations such as Habitat
for Humanity, various Chamber of Commerce chapters, and by going on mission trips with other hospital associates. The most recent SMCC mission trip was to Belize in December 2010. The group included 19 doctors, nurses and administrators. During the 10-day venture, volunteers ran a clinic for basic medical treatment, helped construct a school roof and produced a radio broadcast offering both health and spiritual guidance. Hospital staff members have previously gone on missions to Peru and the Philippines. Although SMMC has its own array of ministries aimed at spiritual and community outreach, the hospital supports dozens of other local organizations. “We try to sponsor organizations that share our values of promoting whole-person wellness in connection to CREATION Health,” said Shannon Cates, SMMC’s marketing and communications manager. These organizations include American Heart Association, Sunflower House for Abused Children, Safehome for Women, Overland Park Farmers Market and local school districts. For more information on SMMC’s community involvement, visit ShawneeMission.org/ community.