News Briefs for August 17, 2018
News reports from Garden Grove, California; Loma Linda University Medical Center; the Dominican Republic; the North American Division and Volusia County, Florida
According to the site Solar Power World, solar power company XsunX installed a solar carport power system at Garden Grove Seventh-day Adventist Church in Garden Grove, California. Solar carports are overhead canopies constructed over parking areas that capture solar energy. The system is connected to energy demand control technology which is projected to save over $1 million over the next 25 years. The combined power system will provide solar energy power to the church and manage how efficiently the church uses energy.
Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) has been recognized as a Best Hospital for 2018-19 by U.S. News & World Report. Ranked as the No. 1 hospital in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, LLUMC was also nationally ranked in gynecology and recognized as “high performing” in seven other areas. Released August 14, the annual rankings are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions or common elective procedures.
Hundreds of Adventists recently gathered in the capital city of the Dominican Republic to pray for the escalating violence, crime and poverty in the Caribbean nation. Leaders spoke of the insecurity that is most concerning to Dominicans, in addition to delinquency, unemployment and family violence during a day filled with prayer and music in a central park. During the gathering, Adventist leaders publicly committed to serve the community through its institutions and churches. As part of the day’s activities, free health screenings were provided to more than 4,000 individuals from the community. In addition to 1,300 congregations and a number of Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) projects, the 300,000 Adventists in the country also support 66 primary and secondary schools, Dominican Adventist University, a hospital and several Radio Amanecer stations.
A new course on “Coaching Distinctively Adventist Sports” in an independent learning format is available through the Adventist Learning Community online. With the 2018-2019 school year, this course is a requirement of the denomination’s North American Division education department for all employed and volunteer coaches participating in interscholastic sports in an Adventist school. This course is worth 0.5 CEUs. The instructor is Dr. Robert K. Thomas, a professor of health and exercise at La Sierra University who previously taught at Atlantic Union College for 13 years and coached the NAIA volleyball team, recognized as the NAIA District V “Coach of the Year.” The course can be accessed here.
The Volusia County public schools have an historic agreement with Florida Hospital, the Adventist institution in Orlando. The Healthy Futures Program is the first of its kind between a school district and a major health care provider, so it will serve as a national model. It includes a five-year, $2 million commitment by Florida Hospital, direct involvement in the district’s six high school health care academies and nine high school and middle school health programs, student internships, health care for student athletes, and health services for the students at the 36 schools with the highest student absenteeism. The suburban school district has a total of 78 schools and more than 63,000 students.