Legacy Series: Art Jones
Host: Steve Noblett
The story of Lawndale began with a group of high school students, a football coach leading a bible study, and a 4th year medical student. That football coach was Wayne Gordon. And that medical student was Art Jones. Art went on to help found Lawndale Christian Health Center, which started out as a clinic that charged just $5 a visit and that worked out of what had previously been a burned out Cadillac dealership.
It's an amazing story, and it continues to unfold. Art went on to do his residency in internal medicine and then a cardiology fellowship. And Lawndale Christian Health Center has grown to become a model and a mentor for scores of Christian health centers around the country. It's the largest employer and one of the biggest economic engines in the west-side of Chicago. Art is now a consultant with Health Management Associates and he continues to work for systemic change in health care on a macro level.
He was kind enough to meet with me recently in Lawndale Christian Health Center’s original building. We talked about the LCHC’s story, about the influence that CCHF has had on his life and on the development of the health center. He shared his insights on the need for leaders to redesign the way we think about health care delivery.
Christian ministry is not at odds with providing the best care possible for our patients and to do it in a financially sustainable way. Art said it makes total sense to do the right thing, to make our decisions based on what we know is right, best for our patients, and to recognize that we have patients who have never passed through our doors and may never pass through our doors. It's easy to understand why Art has been such an inspiration and mentor for so many Christ centered health centers and their leaders.
For more than 25 years, Art's leadership at Lawndale Christian Health Center maintained a balance of faith and innovation. My prayer is that we will take up Art's Challenge to rethink and redesign health care access in ways that meet the needs of our patients.
If this resonates with your heart, then come to the next CCHF conference and meet others who are willing to be thought leaders and innovators in delivering whole person care that serves even the most vulnerable in ways that reflect the compassion and the justice of God.
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CCHFTalk is a production of Christian Community Health Fellowship.
CCHF's Mission: The mission of Christian Community Health Fellowship is to encourage, engage and equip Christians to live out the gospel through healthcare among the poor and marginalized.
CCHF's Vision: We envision a movement of God's people who choose daily to promote healing in marginalized communities in the name of Jesus.
To learn more about Christian Community Health Fellowship (CCHF) and how you can get involved please visit our website at CCHF.org. If you see medicine as more than a career choice - as a calling to serve Christ – then these are your people. Yearly we host the CCHF Conference where hundreds of individuals and organizations join together to network, learn, and worship. Visit https://www.cchfconference.org/ for full schedule, details, & to register!
Subscribe & Follow CCHF:
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The Leagacy Series: Dr. Daisey Dowell
Written by Steve Noblett
Dr. Daisey Dowell of Lawndale Christian Health Center is one of my favorite people on the planet. Some years ago, I had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Dowell. I was really impressed by the way that she genuinely loved her patients and how she spent time training mothers to care for their babies, but also how she handled some of the most difficult situations with professionalism and grace. The thing that impressed me the most was how Jesus was just a part of almost every conversation she had, not in any way that felt forced or inappropriate. He just comes out of every pore in her being.
Later, I learned about Dr. Dowell’s story, which is one of unimaginable challenge, character and tenacity that springs from a deep faith in God's covering of protection. She became part of the CCHF board. She served as the board chair, so we got to work closely together. She's played a huge role in helping me personally and CCHF as a community address issues of diversity while keeping Christ at the center and his kingdom as our goal. I think you'll be inspired and encouraged by her story and her wisdom.
I once asked Dr. Dowell, if the reason that she became a pediatrician was just because she loved children? And she told me that she was a pediatrician more for the mothers than for the children. Because she understood that while she may care for a child and make a difference in that kid's life, if she could disciple a mother and care for her, she might be able to actually break a generational cycle in a family that continues to produce poverty, neglect and abuse. Dr. Dowell's life has been shaped by her relationship with Jesus and by God's word which she has tested and puts into practice every day. We need more providers like her- disciples who are willing to be God's living testimonies in communities where there is so much inequity and suffering.
If you enjoyed this podcast, please like, subscribe and share it with others. And if you wanna help us explore ways to have a greater impact on neglected communities or vulnerable neighbors, come be a part of the CCHF community. Check out our website at CCHF.org and plan to attend our upcoming CCHF Conference.
Watch the CCHFTalk video interview of Dr. Daisey Dowell on YouTube. Listen to the latest CCHFTalk episode visit https://www.cchf.org/cchf-talk.
______________________________________
CCHFTalk is a production of Christian Community Health Fellowship.
CCHF's Mission: The mission of Christian Community Health Fellowship is to encourage, engage and equip Christians to live out the gospel through healthcare among the poor and marginalized.
CCHF's Vision: We envision a movement of God's people who choose daily to promote healing in marginalized communities in the name of Jesus.
To learn more about Christian Community Health Fellowship (CCHF) and how you can get involved please visit our website at CCHF.org. If you see medicine as more than a career choice - as a calling to serve Christ – then these are your people. Yearly we host the CCHF Conference where hundreds of individuals and organizations join together to network, learn, and worship. Visit https://www.cchfconference.org/ for full schedule, details, & to register!
Subscribe & Follow CCHF:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthfellowship/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cchfconnect
X (Twitter): https://x.com/cchf
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CCHF_HealthFellowship
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cchf-christian-community-health-fellowship-/ CCHF
Website: https://www.cchf.org/
CCHF Conference: https://www.cchfconference.org/
The Legacy Series: Susan Post
Host: Steve Noblett
For almost 20 years, Susan Post has served as the CEO for Esperanza Health Center in North Philadelphia. She has been a mentor to many and has become a true pillar in the CCHF community. Her story of following Christ and how she has grown in her walk with Jesus through her experience in North Philadelphia is inspiring. I hope you are as encouraged and challenged by her dedication to Christ and her love for her community as I have been.
“When I made the decision to follow God into North Philly, I didn’t see the danger. I didn’t see the trash. I didn’t see this as a dirty place and all the reasons why I shouldn’t come. Instead, I just saw people all over the place…and I felt like God was saying, ‘These are going to be your people, and you are going to be their person’, sort of like an arranged marriage…and that brought me a lot of joy.”
~Susan Post
Susan Post is a great example of what it means to live intentionally and incarnationally. She has been an exceptional leader at Esperanza, leading with humility and faith. We have a lot more to learn from her in the coming years.
If you enjoyed this podcast, please like and subscribe, and share it with others. I pray that you will come to see communities in your cities that others avoid and neglect with the same hope and love that Susan sees Hunting Park and Kensington. And I hope you will look for opportunities to meet Susan and other like her at the next CCHF conference.
______________________________________
CCHFTalk is a production of Christian Community Health Fellowship.
CCHF's Mission:
The mission of Christian Community Health Fellowship is to encourage, engage and equip Christians to live out the gospel through healthcare among the poor and marginalized.
CCHF's Vision:
We envision a movement of God's people who choose daily to promote healing in marginalized communities in the name of Jesus.
To learn more about Christian Community Health Fellowship (CCHF) and how you can get involved please visit our website at CCHF.org.
If you see medicine as more than a career choice - as a calling to serve Christ – then these are your people. Yearly we host the CCHF Conference where a thousand individuals and organizations join together to network, learn, and worship. Visit https://www.cchfconference.org/ for full schedule, details, & to register!
Subscribe & Follow CCHF:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthfellowship/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cchfconnect
X (Twitter): https://x.com/cchf
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CCHF_HealthFellowship
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cchf-christian-community-health-fellowship-/