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Beacon of the East |
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Beacon of the East
Over the past half-century, with the rising and setting of the sun, and the ebb and flow of the tide, the staff of MCH, past and present, have striven wholeheartedly to raise the standard of healthcare. Medical care has been merged with evangelism in pursuit of the people's health and dignity through holistic healing.
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Brief History: From Mission to Hospital 1948 The Mennonite Overseas Relief Commission of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) accepted the invitation of Presbyterian missionaries serving in areas inhabited by aborigines in Taiwan. Missionary doctors began performing medical relief work for the aboriginal people. In the early days, there was no medical station or clinic; their work was restricted to mobile clinics. 1949 At the end of this year, MCC rented an unused aluminum plant for use as the Hsia Meilun clinic, providing medical care for aborigines free of charge. 1954 With the sponsorship of the Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction's Bureau of Public Health, the first hospital with a 35-bed capacity was constructed at MCH's present site. 1959 The Mennonite Nursing School was started mainly for aboriginal girls. In December, the hospital was opened to the public, no longer restricted to aboriginal patients. 1973 In order to expand the medical work to more aborigines, the Yuli clinic was established south of Hualien in an effort to improve the community health. 1981 The wheelchair club was started as the first club organized for the support of specific patient groups. Funds for different illnesses were established to aid financially strained patients, and the hospital pioneered in patient support groups. Donations from within and without the country were received for construction of a new outpatient building. 1991 The hospital continued to receive donations for an additional hospital building to accommodate its growth and expansion. 1993 The day-care center was opened for senior citizens. Construction work for the new inpatient building began. 1996 The first brain trauma support group in Taiwan was started during this year. 1997 Grand opening ceremony of the new inpatient building was held. In the same year, The Mennonite Social-Welfare Foundation was established for service to seniors and to people with disabilities. 1998 Construction work for the new outpatient building began. 2000 Grand opening ceremony of the new outpatient building was held. Also, the project of a retirement and long-term care community was begun.
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Service in the name of Christ
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Today the Mennonite Christian Hospital is recognized as a teaching hospital with about 750 staff members and about 450 beds, serving and educating the community of Hualien. MCH has departments in internal medicine, orthopedics, neurology, general surgery, urology, rehabilitation, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, family practice, dentistry, psychiatry, otorhinolaryngology and ophthalmology.
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MCH focuses on the needs of the aboriginal people and has implemented the newest technology and methods to serve the patients. It has educated the public in preventive medicine and other matters of community health. The hospital also utilizes new methodology, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), CT scanning, the latest surgical techniques, instrumentation for measuring bone density, and other procedures. It sets the pace for providing health care in eastern Taiwan. Social workers utilize their professional methodology to complement medical measures. They form groups to assist the patients in social, financial, and family matters. They deal with the mental health of the injured and disabled, and other issues concerned with their rehabilitation. The hospital has established funds for different illnesses to alleviate financial strain for patients with little economic means. Holistic Care Department staff visit patients regularly, show their concern, offer reassurance and encourage the patients to overcome their physical ailment. MCH has established healthcare stations in mountainous regions in order to provide healthcare for more aborigines, making medical resources available to a wider web of the aboriginal locales. The Executive Yuan Department of Health has given MCH the rating of regional teaching hospital, enabling MCH to continue providing an environment for medical instruction and the training of interns and residents.
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In the early days, MCC set up clinics in areas including Hualien, Taitung, Chutung, and Pingtung. Since that time, MCH has actively engaged in mobile clinic work for over 50 years to the mountainous area of eastern Taiwan. In 1953 MCH founded a Mennonite Nursing School which ultimately trained 200 local nurses, most of whom were local aboriginal girls. In the 1950's dental hygiene was poor. With the help of Dr. Kunigaard Brunner, a German dentist from the Taiwan Deaconry Mission, MCC trained 20 aboriginal dentists who later went back to their respective aboriginal villages to perform first rate dental work. Beginning in 1961, MCC set up "milk stations" in each aboriginal village to supplement the nutrition of the children. At one time some 11,000 children were each fed a cup of milk in the morning. These milk stations were in operation until the government established public health stations. The concept of public health was not universal in Taiwan; thus, MCH established a public health department dedicated to aboriginal community development. In order to improve environmental sanitation, it sponsored and supervised the construction of sewage canals and public restrooms. It continues to educate the public widely on health concerns such as tuberculosis, parasitic infections, and family planning. The hospital has raised funds for patients of kidney failure, open heart surgery, child leukemia, premature childbirth and has sponsored aid for patients under financial hardship. To this day MCH has not yet once refused to accept a patient due to inability to pay for healthcare. In the year 1997, Mennonite Social-Welfare Foundation began its service in a LIFELINE home emergency rescue system and hot meal home delivery. There is also a nursing home and many types of classes such as arts and crafts, English, and computer available for seniors. Children with multi-handicaps are also given professional care. The new Outpatient Department building, named the Grace Building, was dedicated on May 11, 2000. As many as 1,200 patients have visited the OPD in one day. Modern facilities make medical care more efficient. In February 2001, a nursing home was opened within the hospital. There are 42 beds for both bedfast and mobile patients. Up to the present, there have been seven members of the hospital staff who have been honored by the Medical Contribution Award of the Republic of China, initiated in 1990 as a tribute to those who have provided medical care in remote areas. These recipients are, in chronological order: Dr. Roland Brown: founder of MCH who oversaw each step in the development and expansion of the hospital for over 40 years; Susan Martens Kehler: nursing educator who served for 34 years; Helen Willms: a pioneer of public health who served for 37 years; Mr. M. J. Kao: administrator who served for 38 years; Dr. Alvin Friesen: a family practice physician who served for 18 years; Dr. Carl Epp: founder of MCH's department of internal medicine who served for 18 years; Gladys Siebert: nurse-anesthetist and part-time chaplain who served for 25 years. Dr. Brown received special recognition from President Lee Tung-hui for his dedicated service to providing healthcare in Taiwan. Although MCH is concerned about all the people of eastern Taiwan, it still is dedicated to serving the aboriginal people. Currently 25% of the staff is comprised of aborigines.
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