Three Rivers Outreach and Sea Island Medical Care have partnered to establish a medical clinic in Brewerville, Liberia. This vision to serve the people of this marginalized community in West Africa has been years in the making. Its genesis is a loving friendship between Sonny DuPre and Vincent Rhodes, who grew up best friends in coastal South Carolina in the 1970’s.
An abundance of prayer and discernment have led us to where we are today and to the successes we have experienced. God is opening doors. Research has shown us that there are lots of small clinics in Liberia treating common ailments such as typhoid and malaria. Most of these clinics serve just a handful of patients a day, as those treatments, although just $30/40 US, are well beyond the reach of the average Liberian. The end result is the average person does not get proper care; it is simply out of reach financially.
What can You do to help and what can we do differently?
We’ve settled on focusing on two easily diagnosed and easily treated chronic diseases – diabetes and high blood pressure. The numbers are alarming. Of the nearly one thousand patients we’ve seen to date, nearly 45% of them have high blood pressure, often with debilitating and dangerous levels.
Blood pressure diagnosis requires nothing more than a blood-pressure cuff; Diabetes, a hand-held glucometer, or possibly an A1C machine (which measures sugar levels over a three-month period). We can purchase medications for both stateside, and very reasonably. Most hypertension patients can be treated for as little as $15 US for a year. These medications can be found in Liberia, but they are expensive and so the end result, AGAIN- God’s people do without. Doing without leads to heart attacks and strokes and severe diabetic issues. Doing without leads to family members and often times children left to care for these victims. Stroke victims in their thirties and forties are not uncommon and it is tragic to witness.
We are now in our 2nd year of treating many “repeat” patients, and the data is very encouraging. We’ve seen A1C numbers drop by 3 to 4 percentage points and high blood pressure drop by sometimes as much as 50 points. We’ve been told countless times, “I feel so much better” …. Or “my body feels free!”
Our dream is to one day soon open the clinic full time, staffed with Liberian nurses and an on-call, “covering” Liberian MD. Teams from the US will continue to travel over to Liberia. The clinic will of course test and treat for other diseases, however our focus will remain with hypertension and diabetes. “Pressure” and “sugar” is how the Liberians refer to them. We have already seen an enormous impact and we pray the numbers expand.
Lastly, caring for the people of Brewerville in this way has proven a beautiful way to evangelize. We’ve done so with Muslims, those who are lost and searching, and with everyone who walks through our doors. Gods heart is with the poor of this world. Proverbs 14 says “Being kind to the poor honors God”. We always offer prayer and each day begins and ends with it. Jesus is the great physician.
We would love your support.
