FOT’s 2017 Priority: Support Bomet Annex to Bring Tenwek’s Healing Mission and Gospel Message to a Growing City
Friends of Tenwek is stepping forward to create a unique partnership with Tenwek Hospital with a singular goal in mind – to bring Tenwek’s healing mission and Gospel message to the growing city of Bomet that is home to more than 110,000 people.
Tenwek has purchased a former nursing home facility in an “ideal” location for visibility and access in the bustling city – near numerous government and business offices, a teacher’s college, and several banks. The renovated building will soon be the new home of the Bomet Annex, an outpatient clinic designed to bring the same quality, compassionate care delivered at the hospital to residents in the city.
FOT previously committed $40,000 as seed money to launch the project in 2015. In a sign of how strategically important the project is to Tenwek, the hospital has committed funds from its operational budget to restore and equip the facility. Renovations to date have included a new roof, redesigned exam rooms, floor repairs, new windows, and the widening of the access ramp. The cost to fully renovate and equip the clinic is $280,000. FOT’s priority for 2017 is to raise $100,000 which will be used to “match” an equal investment Tenwek is making to open the clinic.
For some time, Tenwek’s outpatient clinic has been under pressure to expand. The hospital clinic treats, on average, 430 patients each day. It often takes most of the day for patients to be registered and evaluated, undergo tests, receive care, and be discharged. As one nurse recently explained, “Our work is never done. No matter how many people we see today, tomorrow we will be full again.” Doctors have expressed frustration that opportunities to pray with patients sometimes can be limited due to the volume and pace of activity.
The outpatient clinic location is one of the few areas in the hospital that has never been renovated. As a result, today’s patient load has created a significant space constraint in the facility. The conditions being treated also have become more complex. In addition to acute and sub-acute care, patients require ongoing care for chronic conditions and disease management; the most common include high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, heart disease, and malignancies.
Opportunity for Eternal Impact
The time and space challenges in the clinic at Tenwek have discouraged working people in Bomet from visiting the hospital for urgent or chronic care. When they experience illness or injury, they would like to receive the quality care Tenwek Hospital is known for. But they simply cannot afford to sacrifice a day’s work and pay to visit the hospital clinic. They are missing the great opportunity for physical and spiritual healing that Tenwek offers.
The Bomet Annex will provide a full range of outpatient services in a convenient location – an attractive and accessible new venue for delivering compassionate care in Christ’s name. The new clinic will help relieve congestion and improve efficiency at the hospital clinic. It also will attract new patients who will receive both exceptional medical care and the opportunity to hear the Gospel message. In much the same way that Tenwek’s regional network of dispensaries has brought medical care and spiritual hope to people where they live, the Bomet Annex will embody Tenwek’s mission and work in the city in an exciting new way.
The clinic is scheduled to open in June. The need is to improve and expand the hospital’s outpatient services is urgent. Your opportunity to meet that need is now. You gift today can have eternal impact.
You can make a gift here, using our secure, online donation form. On the donation drop down menu for “Please Use This Gift” choose Bomet Annex to designate your gift.
