<<Salutation>>
February 2017 News
First of all, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! We met our match for hospital building and furnishings and we are so thankful for your partnership in both finances and prayers to make that happen.
As we move through 2017, we thought that it would be good to review our mission statement and the seven strategies that we have implemented to achieve that mission.
GECHAAN’s mission statement is to Glorify God, providing sustainable community services to Nigeria, specifically the Mambila Plateau with the intent and purpose of advancing the kingdom of God through the demonstration of compassion and the love of God in the lives of its staff.
Each month we will tackle another strategy and tell you a bit about what’s happening in that area. Our first Strategic Approach is to Provide high-quality holistic health care services with excellent patient care.
On February 1, 2016 GECHAAN Lifeline Centre moved from being a clinic to a full service 24/7 hospital. Space was made in the current facility for 21 beds. In May a new pharmacy was opened with all prescriptions computerized. In September the “Family Center” was completed, a building where families of patients can cook meals and bathe. This building also has a room where small lockers will be installed for families to securely store items they bring to the hospital with them. In October a new toilet building was opened for families. Construction was started on a new building 50’ x 80’. The first level will have a surgical suite and the upper level will have additional ward space with a couple of private rooms. Most of our staff additions in the hospital were in the nursing department where we added 8 people. In September the container of much needed medical supplies arrived from the US.
In 2017 we expect to: Occupy the new building by mid-year. Add a doctor, a lab scientist, and an optometrist in March. Move our computer training center to a new building which will vacate a building close to the hospital that can become an infectious disease ward. A team is coming from Minnesota the end of March. One of the things they will be doing is surgical and hospital hygiene and procedures. A server and computers will be installed that the team has been working on to computerize each area in the hospital and clinic records, as well as eye checks and glasses. This past week, the second half of the deck of the hospital building was poured. IPAC (Infection Prevention and Control) practice is a constant challenge, two mornings each week we have clinical training towards this end. God continues to make it clear that good health care and quality medications are needed here. Our team is working on making quality health care sustainable here and God is blessing. We have a “Mercy Fund” that we use to help supplement when a patient is truly not able to pay all of his fees. While everyone pays something many cannot afford the cost of drugs. Inflation is very serious in Nigeria, in the last year we have seen drugs go up substantially sometimes over double. Currently, the Mercy Fund is completely funded by our staff giving. As that need is increasing, please pray that our staff will know best when to use the mercy fund and that we will find other sources regular of funding. Click here to give to the Project funds.
In January we were notified that one of our churches was cutting support by a significant amount. Some individuals have already stepped up to help fill the gap so currently, we are only about $170 per month short. Please pray with us that others will join us to get back to 100%! Click here to support us.
In His Service,
Dan & Tina Gibbs
Standing Beside
Visit our website at www.StandingBeside.com
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