Sunday, October 13, 2002
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Sunday, October 13, 2002 |
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The real meaning of health care By MARY JANE
HOLT
I settled into my favorite chair and glanced down at the mail I'd just retrieved from the mailbox. In the midst of the pile was a colorful eight-page magazine entitled "Today's Healthy Outlook." It was from Georgia Baptist Meriwether Hospital and Nursing Home. Tired from my walk to the mailbox, I wasn't thrilled about the article on page six telling me I can walk my way to better health, even though I already know it's true. I'm doing better with my food intake now (since the August surgery) and can eat almost anything I want, so I enjoyed the New Food Pyramid piece that followed. Pages two and three discussed cancer screenings and page four warned me that flu season is just around the corner. It was page five that really drew my attention. There, in his first paragraph, William Hayes, CEO of the hospital, welcomed readers to the inaugural issue of the publication. It sounded like a typical spiel from a CEO or even an editor of a publication, until I read in paragraph two, "Our mission is to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ through a health care ministry." Regretfully, cynicism has become more and more the norm for me when it comes to today's health care system. So, for a week, I hang onto this little magazine. I leave it open to the message from the CEO. I re-read that paragraph. Finally I call and ask for an appointment to interview him. Little does he know I want to take him apart, that I don't believe his line about the love of Jesus. Little did I know what lay ahead. Actually, I had stopped by the Meriwether hospital in Warm Springs three times last year, hoping to meet this gentleman. I had heard he was from Sylvester, that he had been CEO of the hospital there. It was Sylvester where I worked for three months as a nurse's aid back in 1966 before I entered nursing school that fall. So much happened that summer that would shape my life forever. Some part of me wanted to connect again to the past. So finally I had an appointment to meet William Hayes, but all thoughts of some kind of Sylvester hospital connection were fading. As I drive in his direction, all I want to know is does he really mean, "Our mission is to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ through a health care ministry"? I had the good sense not to be too abrupt with him. I like to think I was warmly professional as I eased into the interview. But within ten minutes I could contain myself no longer. I asked. He answered. We spent about two hours together after that. Turns out, prior to 2000, he might have written those words just because his hospital was part of the Georgia Baptist Health Care System or because it was the thing to do. But two years ago, he nearly died (actually, he did have a cardiac arrest). Major surgery, with near fatal complications, kept him in the hospital for a month. There were those who didn't believe he would survive, much less regain his health. Today, he is a picture of health. He glows. His love for others is apparent, as is his joy and enthusiasm for life. He said everything changed after his confrontation with death. Life took on a new perspective. What once was at the top of his list may not be on the list at all anymore. Family and friends matter most. True Christian service is a really big deal now, not just lip service, not just a going-through-the-motions kind of thing. He talked about how he would hate to leave his family behind, if he were confronting death again, but said so many of the other things that worried him two years ago wouldn't even cross his mind now. He strives to keep his slate clean, live each day to the fullest, and seeks ways to love others with the love that God allows to flow through him. It was awesome to visit with a hospital administrator who came across as laid back, caring and really happy with his job! Within six months or so, the community hospital now under the direction of William Hayes will be sold. It is the last of the Georgia Baptist properties to go. I hope my new friend stays on board under the new management. It is good to know that kind of leadership is at the helm of our Meriwether County hospital.
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