Adventist HealthCare Mission Initiatives and Activities November 2017

2 AHCL Mission Initiatives and Activities October 2017

The AHCL Mission continues to be the overarching objective influencing the type of services and care offered at AHCL. AHCL’s Mission & Values inspire the purpose, passion and dedication that drive our staff and doctors to pursue excellence in healthcare services. Our healthcare ministry enables us to touch people’s lives with compassion and expertise at a time when they need it most – bringing new life into the world, meeting healthcare needs throughout life, and caring for individuals at the end of life.The primary object of AHCL is to introduce people to the grace and love of God through its health and healing ministry, and to provide opportunities for the fulfilment of spiritual needs of our staff, patients and visitors in the daily program.

AHCL’s Mission is ‘Christianity in Action – Caring for the body, mind and spirit of our patients, community, colleagues and ourselves’. Our values are excellence, dignity, integrity and continuity.AHCL has appointed a Director of Mission and Culture to enhance our ongoing focus on delivering Mission, and has a Mission and Culture Plan which provides direction for focus of activities.

Integration of Mission into Daily AHCL Services and Activities• Demonstrating love for individuals through the delivery of authentic care and professional excellence

– AHCL cares for over 189,000 patients each year (inpatients and outpatients), and has the opportunity to influence thousands of individuals who interact with AHCL services every year including staff, doctors, volunteers, visitors, contractors, and other community members

• Spiritual Care Services – chaplains supporting patients and staff with spiritual and emotional needs

• Worship & Prayer – weekday worship / prayer services, prayer and bible study groups, and special services throughout the year

• Daily opportunities for prayer in meetings, gatherings, celebrations and with individuals

• Prayer request cards and boxes placed around SAH for patients, family, visitors, staff and community

• First Friday event held each month, with a regular Friday evening vespers program recently commencing

• Media – Hope Channel and 3ABN are freely available to patients via the SAH TV network. 2 dedicated in-house TV channels provide the ability to promote healthy living and Adventist beliefs to patients

• Bibles are placed in every patient room, and Adventist Christian literature is available throughout facilities

• Brochures such as ‘Adventist Christianity in Action’, and ‘Sabbath’ – provide opportunity to introduce staff, patients, doctors & visitors to our Adventist beliefs

• Biannual San News publication with a Mission focus

• SAH website promotes our Mission and provides a wealth of health information for the community

• Regular interviews on Radio 2GB and 2UE with talented AHCL staff and doctors sharing information about health and wellbeing

• Integration of Mission into AV productions for website, intranet, and in-house TV

• Flat Screens in main foyer areas showcasing hospital history, service & patient care with Mission related images

• Promotion of vegetarianism through San Café, San Snax and patient menus

• Incorporation of “Christianity in Action” into hospital advertisements and promotions

• Proactive promotion of Mission related AHCL news stories to the media

• Integration of Mission into master planning and facility design

3AHCL Mission Initiatives and Activities October 2017

Community Engagement & Support• 460 passionate and dedicated community members volunteer their time regularly to support AHCL in

caring for the community, including several individuals who are members of AHCL committees and the AHCL Consumer Advisory Council

• Cancer Support services – free information, resources, support groups and assistance provided to cancer patients and their carers within the community. Low cost accommodation is also available onsite at SAH for patients and their carers

• Regular birthing and parenting (including grand parenting) classes – improving life skills of new mums and their families

• Health education sessions provided free to the community

• Formal RACGP accredited medical education provided free to general practitioners in the community

• STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine, Maths) education event – a free event first held in mid-2017 to inspire young women in our local community high schools to consider careers in medicine and nursing (and other STEMM areas)

• Education facilities on site at SAH (including the SAH Clinical School of the University of Sydney, Avondale College of Higher Education, and San College of Education) – providing formal education courses for medical, nursing and allied health professionals at AHCL and in the community. Courses / seminars for the community include CPR training, healthcare seminars, refresher & re-entry for nursing, new graduate programs, and First Aid programs for Greater Sydney Pathfinder leaders

• Regular speaking appointments of AHCL staff in local churches

• Open Heart International – humanitarian aid program initiated by SAH (now partnering with ADRA) continues to transform lives in overseas countries, with many AHCL staff and doctors volunteering their time and skills

• San Foundation – actively involved with local community groups, businesses and individuals in raising much needed funds for AHCL, helping to maintain its reputation for excellence and fulfilling its mission of caring for the community

• Run for Life fun run – promoting healthy lifestyles and raising funds for community projects

• Annual Memorial Service – providing opportunity for community members to remember those who received care and support at the San

• Carols by Candlelight – attracting several thousand community members to the front lawn of SAH each year to celebrate Christmas and the birth of Christ

• San Teddy Bear’s Picnic – opportunity for hundreds of new mums from our local community to bring their ‘San babies’ back to the hospital, enjoy a picnic and reunite with San staff and doctors

• SAH continues to provide work opportunities for disabled individuals – helping them to transition into community work

• Active involvement in local fundraising projects and activities for the community such as the Novus foundation, Rotary, ‘Bobbin Head Classic’ bike ride, Pink Ribbon events,’ Shave for a Cure’, ‘Movember’, ‘The Dish’ (meals and support to the homeless and disadvantaged), and others

Mission and Culture initiatives for staff include:

• Inclusion of Mission in the Corporate and Marketing Strategies

• Inclusion of Mission goals in Leader Goals / Business Plans

• Inclusion of Mission in all performance appraisals

1081

MPR

1017

SAH

• The ongoing Mission Ambassador Program, which provides encouragement and a structure for peer initiated mission enculturation in Hospital departments and recognition for staff who are examples of Mission in a number of ways including Intranet information, Pacemaker features, and special awards at the annual San Quality Awards event.

• The new Spiritual Ambassadors program – AHCL employees who are passionate in their support of Mission with a particular focus on offering, promoting and providing spiritually oriented care on the job

• Monday Mission Message distributed weekly to leadership and staff

• Every Friday a different message is placed on the Intranet inviting staff to celebrate Sabbath

• Inclusion of Mission as a standard agenda item for meetings

• Inclusion of prayer as a standard agenda item for formal AHCL meetings

• Inclusion of “Christianity in Action” on Job advertisements

• Inclusion of Mission in recruitment and interviews for new employees

• Inclusion of Mission in the AHCL orientation program

• Mission and culture on-boarding for all Exec/Directors/Managers face-to-face with the Director of Mission & Culture

• Inclusion of “Christianity in Action” on staff business cards

• Inclusion of a Mission segment at each Leadership Forum

• Examples of Mission in Executive News provided to all employees

• Annual Hospital Focus Week with Mission related presentations and activities

• New ‘Connect’ conference – bringing together the preaching, teaching and healing ministries of the SDA Church

• Leadership Development Program

• ‘More Care’ program focused on enhancing patient experience and extending Mission

• Annual Staff Week with Mission related activities and other staff celebrations

• Employee workplace giving opportunities and projects

• Caring for the wellbeing of our staff and volunteers through Work / Life policies, flexible work practices, recognition of diversity, celebrations, and provision of recreation facilities on site

• Negotiating fair and equitable employment agreements

• Employee support program (for employees and volunteers)

• Staff Bereavement Pack provided to employees on death of a family member

• Fitness Passport program for staff

• Inclusion of Mission survey questions into the regular staff survey

Adventist HealthCare believes in living it’s Mission of ‘Christianity in Action’ every day, through all activities and interactions with the communities that it serves. This document represents examples of how this is achieved.

A teaching hospital of Partner in nursing education Proudly supported by

Adventist HealthCare 185 Fox Valley Road, Wahroonga NSW 2076 Telephone: 02 9487 9111 www.adventisthealthcare.org.au ABN 76 096 452 925