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Connecting Patients with the Local Church
by Rev. Andrés Fajardo, Esperanza Staff Chaplain
One of the key aspects of Esperanza’s mission is to work in complementary fashion with the local church, rather than to replace its essential role. Thus, we believe that it is especially important for our patients — whether Christian or non-Christian — to be engaged with a local church body so they can be ministered to long-term. To help connect our patients with local churches, we train ourselves as Chaplains, both staff and volunteer, to provide patients with information about local churches, follow up with patients, and help patients to connect with outside services such as addiction recovery and youth ministries.
In recent months, we’ve seen some encouraging developments in this area! One of our Volunteer Chaplains, Anita Medina, has integrated one of our patients into her congregation; this person is now participating faithfully in the worship services. Our Staff Chaplain, Rev. Miguel Díaz (photo above, back center) has been privileged to bring a young mother and her two-year old child into his church, which was made possible through a Medical Campus Outreach event held last year in the Tioga Heights neighborhood near his congregation. Also, a single mother and her children originally from the Dominican Republic, who is a patient at our K&A site now attend Rev. Diaz’s church. A patient from Honduras and her two year-old also attend the church, and she has been instrumental in bringing her landlord and her husband to the church. God’s Spirit has been moving in our midst here at Esperanza Health Center and He is connecting these patients to the Body of Christ!
Welcome, Sarah Danford!
Esperanza welcomes our newest primary care provider, Sarah Danford, BSN, MSN-FNP, family nurse practitioner. She is currently in Antigua, Guatemala completing Spanish language immersion training and will begin to see patients at Esperanza in April.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, where she earned her Masters in Nursing degree, Ms. Danford has significant experience working with disadvantaged communities in several countries including Ethiopia, Malaysia, Mexico and El Salvador. She previously worked as a medical assistant and nutrition educator with a federally-qualified health center serving Hispanic immigrant farm workers in Oregon, and also served as a registered nurse with Penn’s student health center. Ms. Danford also serves in leadership with her church, Citylight Church in Philadelphia. In her free time, she enjoys finding unique recipes to cook with her husband, spending time with her nephews and hiking with her dog, Luna in the Wissahickon. Welcome, Sarah to the Esperanza team!
One More One Less
The following is an excerpt from a poem, “One More One Less” written by Desiree McKay-Rogers, M.Ed., who serves as one of Esperanza’s Health Promoters:
One More One Less
We are one people
Under god
Divided by many
Should be separated by none
We need to come together
For one more could mean one less
One more promoter could mean one less victim
One less diabetic
One less dying from cardiac arrest
One more promoter could mean one less victim
From sexual abuse
From domestic violence
From life’s hangs up
We are one people
Under God
Divided by many
Should be separated by none
We need to come together
To promote a better world
To build a stronger community
One more promoter means more sharing of the word
More sharing of his glory
More sharing of his grace
More sharing of the power that he has to change
Each and every one of us
There is power in our delivery
Power in our presence
One more promoter means one more educated
If we reach one
We can teach one
To teach another
To read “One More One Less” in its entirety, please click here:
Esperanza Recognized for High Childhood Immunization Rates
 Esperanza was recently recognized by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program for achieving high rates of childhood immunizations. As a result of an audit conducted at our site with the highest patient volume, Esperanza was cited as having among the highest immunization rates in the city for both two-year olds and for adolescents.
Thank you for considering a gift to Esperanza, as we continue to reach out to even more people in North Philadelphia who are in need of excellent, affordable care. You can make a donation to Esperanza by clicking the link below; all gifts are tax-deductible.
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