airobi, Kenya—In April 2016 the Adventist University of Africa (AUA) celebrated the inauguration of Delbert Baker as its new vice-chancellor. The celebration was attended by church and government officials along with a host of other leaders and dignitaries from Adventist institutions, the local community, and the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference headquarters.
The installation service was led out by Ella Simmons, a general vice president of the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference and chair of the AUA Council, along with Blasious Ruguri, president of the Adventist Church’s East-Central Africa Division and chancellor of AUA. The event culminated with special celebratory speeches from Seventh-day Adventist General Conference president Ted Wilson, Adventist General Conference general vice president Geoffrey Mbwana, education director for the Adventist Church Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, Oakwood University president Leslie Pollard, and a host of others.
In his remarks, the new vice-chancellor challenged the university family to join him in pursuing “unstoppable advancement, academic excellence, and adventures under the Almighty.”
During the ceremony, Blasious Ruguri said, “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Baker to the vice-chancellorship of one of the greatest Adventist universities in the world. He has an outstanding reputation as both a denominational and academic leader in the Adventist church. We look forward to working with him to help take AUA onward and upward.”
Prior to coming to AUA, Baker served as a general vice president for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. [Philip Baptiste/East-Central African Division]
Memorandum of Understanding to benefit Adventist hospitals across Inter-America
Miami, Florida, United States—A Memorandum of Understanding, signed April 18, 2016, between administrators of Health City Cayman Islands (HCCI) and Adventist Health Services Inter-America (AHS-IA) will seek to provide free cardiac surgeries to children and minimally invasive surgeries at affordable costs across Adventist-operated hospitals in the Caribbean. HCCI is a state-of-the-art tertiary care hospital located in Grand Cayman, which provides world-class-affordable medical care.
“We are honored to be part of this project,” said Chandy Abraham, CEO of HCCI, as he addressed Inter-American Division church leaders. “The Seventh-day Adventist Church has mission hospitals across the Caribbean islands which align with the way we think.”
“This is a significant moment for the Inter-American Division,” said Israel Leito, president of the Seventhday Adventist Church’s Inter-America Division. “This joint project will expand the mission of this world-renowned institution and our Adventist hospitals to the general public where we are operating.”
The AHS-IA affiliation with HCCI will bring the institutions to the same level and grant direct access to professional, technical, and other resources, according to Elie Honore, AHS-IA president. “This is a good opportunity to serve our community at a very high level, where we would not be able to assist otherwise,” added Honore. The aim is to refer 100 patients, 0–18 years of age, for free surgeries to HCCI per year. “Our hospitals will be crucial in screening patients that can benefit from this wonderful missionary ministry in our health institutions,” explained Honore.
In the agreement document AHS-IA agrees to refer patients needing adult and pediatric services to HCCI, such as cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, cardiology, orthopedics, sports medicine , oncology, neurosciences, pulmonology, GIand bariatric surgery, and other specialties.
The agreement will be initially for the five hospitals in the Caribbean and one in Mexico, but leaders hope this project can be extended to the rest of the 14 hospals managed and operated by Adventist Health Services Inter-America. [Libna Stevens/Inter-American Division]
