MULTIPLYING the MISSION
MARCH 2023
STORIES INSIDE:
BEYOND SILOAM
THE RIPPLE EFFECT: STUDENT EDUCATION
EMPOWERING THE COMMUNITY
Sharing the love of Christ by serving those in need through health care is the mission we carry out every day at Siloam Health. It leads us to intentionally seek out those who are on the margins of society and provide them with compassionate, high quality health care.
Our team works together to provide care for the whole person so that no matter what a patient is going through, we do not shy away from the opportunity to meet their needs physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. After 14 years as a physician at Siloam, I can’t imagine practicing medicine any other way.
And yet the need for this kind of care is so much greater than we can address as one organization working in a local context. That is why an essential part of our work is to multiply the mission – to invest in others so that health care transformed by love will ripple far beyond Siloam.
As the director of our Student Education programs, I find great joy in training up the next generation of health care workers in the art of whole person care. I see how pieces of our mission and model are embraced, carried across the country, and put into practice by these students as they become doctors, advanced practice providers, and leaders.
Multiplying the mission goes beyond student education as you’ll see when you read the following pages. The ripple effects of health care transformed by love can be seen when patients we’ve invested in through clinical care or community health are able to flourish so they can serve their families and invest in others in their community.
The opening of Siloam Health Antioch in 2020 has given us greater opportunity to serve and invest in others so that the mission is multiplied. We are also grateful to share our passion for whole-person care with others in the health care field so that they too can understand and consider the impact of this type of care in their own unique context.
By investing in whole-person health care through your prayers and financial support, you also multiply the mission. you for partnering with us to meet the needs of the uninsured and marginalized through the work of Siloam and beyond. We hope that these stories and reflections help you to embrace the powerful role you have as a multiplier of Siloam Health’s mission.
Gratefully in Christ,
Kristin Martel, MD
Melrose Clinical Director and Director of Student Education
Cover Photo: Allison Morris, Vanderbilt University, First Year Medical Student
THE RIPPLE EFFECT: STUDENT EDUCATION
Training the next generation of healthcare professionals is how Siloam Health has been multiplying our mission since the beginning. Siloam partners with universities from across the state of Tennessee to provide education for students studying in a variety of healthcare fields.
George Lin, a Vanderbilt University medical student, had his very first clinical experience at Siloam Health. George explains that “Siloam offers an education you just can’t get anywhere else in medical school about how to care for patients… beyond just their physical needs and how to make sure you address that in the context of a primary care visit.” What George learned at Siloam is that the whole-person approach is essential to providing the best care possible. He shares that “Patients trust Siloam. They are more willing to open up about things that are going on in their lives.”
At Siloam, George was shown importance of considering a patient’s spiritual history. Through that experience, he was equipped to resolve a difficult situation with a patient at Vanderbilt several years later. This patient was refusing recommendations from the medical team because of her belief in God’s healing, and George was able to ask questions, listen to her, and relate to her faith so that in their common language, she came to understand that her faith in God’s power was respected by the medical staff who also wanted to provide the best care possible. This is just one example of how whole-person health care ripples throughout the country as Siloam-trained health care professionals go out into the world to provide care with the love of Christ.
The opportunity to care for the underserved also informs how George will continue to provide care for years to come as he shares that “I’ve seen how important it is to make sure that we, no matter what specialty we are in, advocate for ways that everyone will be given an opportunity if they need to see somebody.”
George has found deep purpose through providing care to the underserved at Siloam because “You feel like you’re a part of a bigger mission, you feel like you’re a part of the Kingdom when you’re there.” Our hope for George and the many students who spend time at Siloam is that they carry these lessons with them, knowing that this “bigger mission” is theirs too and that the Kingdom will come in part whenever they provide wholeperson care and ensure that the uninsured and marginalized are provided with high-quality health care.
ABIGAY’S JOURNEY
When Siloam Health patients recommend Siloam to their family and friends, it can have life-changing effects. Upon arriving in Tennessee, Abigay’s daughter told her she needed to go to Siloam because she had spent years taking great care of her children, but not taking care of her own health.
Siloam providers treated her anemia and helped manage her diabetes, and then one day a routine screening came back to PA Kim Thornton with surprising results –early signs indicated that Abigay had
cancer.
Abigay was filled with fear because “In the Hispanic culture when they diagnose cancer, they are diagnosing death,” but she also had faith that God would take care of her because she shares that “My parents taught me to confront things. To be brave and to put your faith in God.”
Kim referred Abigay to specialists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and together they walked through treatment and surgery. Thankfully, more than a year after the initial diagnosis, she is now able to say she is cancer free! Abigay is “so very thankful” to be healthy and for her daughter who encouraged her to come to Siloam to take care of her health.
EMPOWERING THE COMMUNITY
When Siloam Health launched our community health worker program in 2014, we knew it was an important step in multiplying the mission of whole-person health. Community health workers (CHWs) are frontline workers who come from within the communities they serve to provide emotional and instrumental support that addresses the underlying determinants of health.
As members of the community, Siloam’s CHWs understand many of the challenges new Nashville neighbors face and build trusted relationships with them to create personalized health plans and help them implement and adapt those plans as needed. Through that process, something beautiful can happen: when one new neighbor learns about adjusting to life in the United States – a new diet, the need for intentional exercise, and navigating social support systems – they can then turn around and do the same for others!
This model of empowering the community with training and tools means that the ripple effects of whole-person health will extend far beyond those we reach directly, and the healthy lives of our new neighbors can lead to the flourishing of a whole new Nashville.
Carolina, Senior Community Health Worker, working with a client over the phone.
BEYOND SILOAM
At Siloam Health, we see ourselves as just one part of the greater healthcare community in Nashville. By being active participants in important conversations with others beyond Siloam, we can plant seeds with our peers about the importance of whole-person healthcare.
Community Health Honors
Siloam Health’s Senior Community Health Workers (CHWs), Carolina Garcia and Milexa Hernandez, are recognized leaders in their field: they were nominated by the National Association of Community Health Workers for the Care in COVID Award which honors CHWs who went above and beyond for COVID-related community support during the pandemic.
In addition to helping their clients navigate social services systems and address the root cause of diseases, Carolina and Milexa love to share their passion and expertise with others who can drive the mission forward. If they aren’t participating in a media interview on Spanish language TV or radio, they are often contributing to one of the state or national associations for community health workers. Siloam Health and the Nashville community are incredibly blessed to have these talented advocates on our staff.
Christian Community Health Fellowship
Christian Community Health Fellowship (CCHF) is a community of Christian health care professionals who work in both secular and faith-based clinics committed to the mission of providing health care to the marginalized.
In addition to being a thriving network of clinics throughout the US, CCHF also offers abundant resources and an annual conference that serves as a hub of information and a time of fellowship for its members. Dr. Kristin Martel, Siloam Health Melrose Clinical Director & Director of Education, is a CCHF board member, and members of our staff attend and lead sessions at their annual conference every year.
Leadership Health Care
Leadership Health Care’s mission is to cultivate the talent of health care professionals into the health care leaders of tomorrow. Ryan Kendrick, Siloam Health Director of Donor Relations is a member of Leadership Health Care and was recently named their Ambassador of the Year for going above and beyond to encourage participation and involvement amongst LHC members. Congratulations Ryan, and thank you for sharing your enthusiasm for whole-person care with other emerging health care leaders!
EXPANDING CARE THROUGH SILOAM HEALTH ANTIOCH
The opening of Siloam Health Antioch in the summer of 2020 allowed us to provide whole-person care to many more neighbors in Nashville, increasing our annual number of patients cared for from 4,000 to more than 6,500!
As a new clinic that opened at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are amazed at God’s timing and grateful for the opportunity to create new relationships with neighbors and to care for their health in ways we couldn’t have anticipated. Planted in the heart of the diverse Antioch community, we believe that Siloam Health Antioch will continue to thrive as a trusted resource in the neighborhood.
37013
13,095 patient encounters
82 homelands represented
40% patients live in the same zip code as the clinic
6,186 patients cared for (5,400 are new to Siloam)
1,371 clients engaged by 7 Community Health Worke
1,084 COVID vaccination doses administered rs
Siloam Health’s mission is to share the love of Christ by serving those in need through health care.
