Adventist Healthcare Institutions in Inter-America Aim To Go From Struggling To Thriving Facilities

April 8, 2021 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Seventh-day Adventist leaders, board members and administrators overseeing healthcare institutions across the Inter-American Division (IAD) met this week to begin a series of networking meetings aimed at building a shared vision of better quality of service to the thousands of patients that come through their doors. The video conference included more than 50 administrative officers from Inter-America’s 14 hospitals and 21 clinics, as well as prominent partners from Loma Linda University Health and AdventHealth Systems.

“During the past 10, 15, 20 years, you have been doing something extraordinary throughout all healthcare institutions in Inter-America, and it’s been wonderful to see how many of these institutions are better shaped now than 10 years ago when Adventist Healthcare Services Inter-America was established,” said Franck Geneus, M.D., president of Adventist Healthcare Services Inter-America (AHSIA). “The contribution of AHSIA and partners of Adventist Health International and AdventHealth Systems were key for the [improvement] changes,” he added.

AHSIA was established in 2010 in association with Adventist Health International with headquarters in Loma Linda University in California, United States. It is an organization that exists to strengthen and assist healthcare institutions promoting physical, mental, social, and spiritual wholeness of mankind while fulfilling the mission of the church.

As healthcare institutions have been coping with their own challenges, it is necessary to work on a shared vision and find out ways to keep improving quality of care, said Dr. Geneus. “We can benefit from what we can bring together as a group, networking together to better figure out the best way we can keep moving forward.” Geneus has seen it firsthand after spending the last nine years as chief medical doctor of the Adventist Hospital in Haiti.

It’s about being inspired to achieve better as leaders to move Adventist healthcare institutions from struggling to thriving institutions, said Dr. Geneus.

A shared vision with objective milestones toward developing a mechanism to improve institutions is vital, added Dr. Geneus, as he detailed characteristics to help grow institutions to be responsible, sustainable, resilient, accessible, secure and safe entities through and through.

To move forward with the shared vision of upgrading healthcare institutions, administrative officers were presented with an online tool provided by the Joint Commission International (JCI) designed for organizations to self asses on thorough quality and patient care they provided.

Assessment or evaluation is the part of the process for improving and expanding each of the hospitals and clinics across the territory, said Dr. Geneus.  “Our vision is really to begin all institutions in Inter-America engaged in this evaluation stage to have a broader picture of where each one stands while Joint Commission International assists us in analyzing the findings in order to advance in providing better quality healthcare.”

It will not be something that will take place overnight, but with health becoming more global with increasing threats governments are becoming more keen on making sure healthcare institutions are delivering quality healthcare, explained Dr. Geneus. “As Adventist healthcare institutions we must get deeper into this aspect and figure out how we can strive to move better to accomplish our shared vision.”

Institutions will have the opportunity to register and begin the process of self-assessment through the online JCI navigator this month announced Dr. Geneus.  Already, Puerto Rico’s Bella Vista Hospital has received approval by the JCI.

Leaders went over the vision that will be put into practice to align with the I Will Go mission initiatives outlined for healthcare institutions in Inter-America for the next five years.

In addition, plans are underway to engage AHSIA institutions to take part in professional practices with administrators’ groups, doctors’ groups and nurses’ groups to discuss challenges and share experiences and solutions in the quest to deliver overall quality care.

The next AHSIA quarterly meeting is scheduled to take place on July 6, 2021.

To learn more about Adventist Healthcare Services Inter-America, click HERE