Memorandum of Understanding to benefit Adventist hospitals across Inter-America
From left to right: Elie Honore, AHS-Inter-America president, Pastor Israel Leito, IAD president, Gene Thompson, Health City Cayman Islands Director, and Chandy Abraham, Health City Cayman Islands CEO, sign the Memorandum of Understanding between HCCI and AHS-Inter-America, on Apr. 18, 2016, in Miami, Florida, United States. The memorandum will assist in establishing a working relationship with HCCI in six initial Adventist hospitals in Inter-America, which will help screen and recruit patients with cardiac malformation ages 0-18 and other medical services for adults. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
April 28, 2016 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens/IAD
A memorandum of understanding signed last week between administrators of Health City Cayman Islands and Adventist Healthcare Services Inter-America (AHS-IA) will seek to provide free cardiac surgeries to children and minimally-invasive surgeries at affordable costs across Adventist-operated hospitals in the Caribbean.
Andrews Memorial Hospital in Jamaica is one of six Adventist hospitals that will take part with Health City Cayman Islands project. Image by Nigel Coke/IAD
Health City Cayman Islands is a JCI accredited state-of-the-art tertiary care hospital located in Grand Cayman which provides world class affordable medical care through centers of excellence that deliver health care.
The Memorandum of Understanding will help establish a working relationship in six initial Adventist hospitals in Inter-America, which will help screen and recruit patients with cardiac malformation ages 0-18 and other medical services for adults.
The memorandum also includes the establishment of cardiac cath labs managed by HCCI as well as the acquisition of new medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and consumables at lower costs.
“We are honored to be part of this project,” said Chandy Abraham, CEO of Health City Cayman Islands as he addressed Inter-American Division church leaders on April 18, 2016. “The Seventh-day Adventist Church has mission hospitals across the Caribbean islands which align with the way we think.”
The signed memorandum will serve as an agreement of five years with the option to renew for an additional three-year period, the document stated.
“This is a significant moment for the Inter-American Division,” said Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America. “This joint project will expand the mission of this world renowned institution and our Adventist hospitals to the general public where we are operating.”
Adventist Hospitals which fall under the AHS-IA agreement include Andrews Hospital in Jamaica, Community Hospital in Trinidad, Antillean Adventist Hospital in Curacao, Vista del Jardin Medical Center in Dominican Republic, and Haiti Adventist Hospital in Haiti, said Elie Honore, AHS-IA president.
Union administrators who chair Adventist hospitals across Inter-America pose with HCCI and IAD leaders after the MOU signing. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
The affiliation with HCCI will bring the institutions at the same level, and have direct access to professional technical and other resources to them, according to Honore. “This is a good opportunity to serve our community at a very high level, where we would not be able to assist otherwise,” added Honore. The aim is to refer 100 patients, 0-18 years of age for free surgeries to HCCI per year, he added.
“Our hospitals will be crucial in screening patients what can benefit from this wonderful missionary ministry in our health institutions,” explained Honore.
The agreement document also include AHS-IA to agree to refer patients needing adult and pediatric services to HCCI such as cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, cardiology, orthopedics, sports medicine, oncology, neuro sciences, pulmonology, GI and bariatric surgery, and other specialties.
The signing took place at the Inter-American Division (IAD) headquarter office in Miami, Florida, United States, with dozens of top administrators from the IAD’s unions, or major church regions, in attendance.
The agreement will be initially for the five hospitals in the Caribbean and one in Mexico, but leaders hope this project can be extended to the rest of the 14 hospitals managed and operated by Adventist Healthcare Services in Inter-America, said Honore.
Both institutions will collaborate on training and educational opportunities, assist in training and mentoring in “Quality in Healthcare” and management techniques such as “Lean in Healthcare”, stated the memorandum of understanding.
“We have been working on this memorandum for more than six months now and are so thankful to be part of this venture with Health City Cayman Islands,” said Dr. Honore.