Adventist-led organizations conducted a two-day free optical, medical and dental clinic in Eugene, Ore., Nov. 23 and 24, 2019. The decision to hold the clinic was made only three weeks before it began.
"God provided and gave us a venue, willing partners, and brought us an overwhelming abundance of volunteers. We had 11 dentists, seven hygienists, three optometrists, dental assistants, nurses and many nonmedical volunteers so that over two rainy days, we were able to serve 384 patients,” says Danny Kwon of the Life and Health Network.
People served included 255 dental patients, 159 vision patients and 10 medical-only patients. Dozens of flu vaccines were given, and many patients also received professional photos and massages during the event. The total donated services provided was valued at well over $150,000. Copies of Desire of Ages and Steps to Christ were also placed into thankful hands.
This Life and Health Network clinic, sponsored by Robert Burnette and put on in conjunction with Caring Hands Worldwide and the Daniel Miguel Foundation, was held at the Lane County Fairgrounds. Contacts were made with local homeless shelters and nearby Native American tribes. Local TV news programs quickly joined in and encouraged anyone who could not afford dental, optical or medical care to take advantage of this opportunity.
Kwon and Vinh Trinh have led in many free clinics as former directors of Adventist Medical Evangelism Network (AMEN), including three previous clinics in Eugene and three Impact Your Health clinics in Portland. Their experience and the expertise of the folks at Caring Hands Worldwide brough many past volunteers to come on short notice and be the heartbeat of the clinic.
“I loved serving these people,” said one of the dentists. “Most of them had not seen a dentist for years. They were eager to have their teeth cleaned and their cavities filled and were so thankful we were helping them.”
“The day before the clinic,” Trinh remembers, “I received two phone calls that reminded me how much God is in charge of outreach events like this one. The first call was from our lead optometrist, saying that there had been an accident in her family, and she was not going to be able to come. The second call was from a local optometrist asking if by chance we could use his services. God was really quick on filling this need!”
Life and Health Network is hoping to do more free clinics in the future. In the meantime, they continue their church-based group program, Diabetes Undone (Rivirtendo la Diabetes in Spanish), and have many free health resources at lifeandhealth.org and saludesvida.org.
Volunteers Jonathan Patten, Brian Ferguson and Randy Meyers help make the clinic a success.
Hundreds of people received much-needed dental, vision and medical care, plus flu shots.
Local TV news programs encouraged anyone who could not afford dental, optical or medical care to take advantage of this opportunity.
The volunteers were the heartbeat of the clinic.
