Harwell Medical and One Stop Shop Corp. Collaborate for Life-Changing Medical Missions with GKAMMT and Sham Yuk University

Glendale Korean  Medical Mission  in Philippines 

Mideical Mission Videos Compilation

San Pablo 2024

Medical Mission 2017 – CAA Adventist Church

Delivering Advanced Surgical Solutions and Compassionate Care Across the Philippines Since 2018

Since 2018, Harwell Medical and One Stop Shop Corp. have forged a meaningful partnership with the Glendale Korean Seventh Day Adventist Medical Mission Team (GKAMMT) and Sham Yuk University, Seoul, Korea, driving a series of impactful medical missions throughout the Philippines. This collaboration, featured on www.howellmicroscopes.com , showcases a shared commitment to accessible, quality healthcare, particularly through advanced ophthalmic surgery.

The journey began in Imus City, Cavite in 2018, continued to Tubigon, Bohol in 2020, returned to Imus City in 2023, and expanded to serve the entire city of San Pablo, Laguna in 2024. Most recently, in 2025, the medical mission reached the whole town of Silang, Cavite. Each mission has been marked by the delivery of specialized eye care and surgeries, touching hundreds of lives and restoring vision to those in need.

At the heart of these missions is Harwell Medical’s dedication to providing cutting-edge medical equipment, especially the Ophthalmic Surgical Articulating Mobile Floor Stand Binocular Microscope (5.3x – 8x – 12x magnification) with motorized foot-controlled focusing. This surgical microscope is an essential tool for cataract surgeries, offering precision and reliability that improves patient outcomes. Over the past five years, this equipment has served in multiple cities across South Luzon and the Visayas, assisting in over 100 cataract procedures during each mission.

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Harwell Medical and One Stop Shop Corp. are committed to supporting both community outreach programs and medical professionals by offering a variety of microscope models, including renowned international brands to fit any budget. Whether you are looking for advanced surgical solutions or reliable, cost-effective models, our team is ready to cater to your needs and provide expert support.

For more information about our products or to partner with us on future missions, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are always glad to serve your organization and help bring quality healthcare to more communities across the Philippines.

GLENDALE KOREAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST MEDICAL MISSI0N AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

A BRIEFER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

            The Glendale Korean Seventh-Day Adventist Church in California, USA formed the Glendale Korean Adventist Medical Mission Team (GKAMMT) to conduct overseas medical missions.  Its first destination is the Philippines considering a significant gap in its health care services. 

The Team is composed of medical professionals and volunteers from South Korea and the USA in partnership with the local organizations, government units, and Adventist Churches.  Its services include medical and dental services, food and clothing stopgaps, shelter repairs and improvement assistance, and other services such as health lectures and special education for children.  It has served a total of 58,500 patients in its ten-year operations since 2015, and provided relief goods for the Covid 19 victims during the pandemic.

            Its comprehensive and compassionate approach has not only alleviated immediate health concerns but also fostered long-term wellness and hope in the communities it served. It also impacted on the local Church growth, activity, and spiritual revival.

            The GKAMMT recognizes the need for continuous improvement of its services provision system to keep abreast with the evolving needs of the target communities and to maintain an effective and sustainable operations. As such, it identifies room for improvement for its future operations.

INTRODUCTION

The Glendale Korean Seventh-Day Adventist Church (Glendale Church) located at 4652 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA formed the Glendale Korean Adventist Medical Mission Team (GKAMMT).  This Team has been conducting medical missions in various areas in the Philippines since 2015.  A total of 58,500 less fortunate individuals were given medical services and provided basic needs in its ten-year operations.   

The Glendale Church is keen to reach out and extend its faith beyond local boundaries. Inspired by the Church’s long-standing health ministry tradition and the biblical call to heal the sick, it decided to launch international medical mission trips, which it dubbed as a journey of compassion and healing.  Convinced of the considerable gap on health services in the Philippines and having active local Adventist churches (there are 5,358 churches with a total membership of more than 860,000), civic organizations, and local government unit to serve as partners, the GKAMMT decided to make this country its first destination.

The Philippines is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia with a population of more than 114 million.  In 2023, its poverty incidence is at 15.5% translating into 17.54 million poor individuals with 4.3% living in subsistence level or 4.84 million food poor individuals.  Its total health expenditure in the same year is 5.9% of its GDP which is way below the 10.3% global rate (2021). 

THE GKAMMT

Vision:      A vibrant organization with capability to address immediate healthcare and basic needs of underserved communities, through which communicates the message of hope and peace in God’s love.

Mission:   Deliver essential medical and dental services, education on health issues, and basic needs to those who may not otherwise have access, in a waywhich constantly adheres to the Adventists’ core values of faith, service, and commitment to a healthy lifestyle. 

Core Values:

• Compassion.  Motivated by a deep sense of empathy and a commitment to heed the biblical call to heal the sick and care for the suffering and vulnerable.

• Integrity.  In all actions, committed to uphold the highest ethical standards, ensuring transparency and accountability.

• Resilience. Able to adapt to difficult situations, taking on challenges to develop new skills and knowledge and become more equipped to handle future adversities.

Goal:      To provide essential medical and dental services, promote health literacy, and make available stopgaps on basic needs, particularly food, clothing, and shelter assistance as well as special education for children.

            Objectives:

• Provide medical and dental services by conducting consultation, screenings and examinations, providing medication and treatment, and offering basic surgical procedures.

• Provide health education on disease prevention, hygiene, and healthy lifestyle.

• Provide stopgaps on basic needs by distributing rice and clothing, as well as materials and services for the repair and renovations of shelter units.

• Provide special education for children by teaching them simple songs and crafts, conduct of fun and engaging activities, and distribution of toys and educational materials. 

• Monitor and evaluate the impact of mission events on the concerned communities’ health and social development outcomes as well on the local Church growth.

TEAM COMPOSITION

            The GKAMMT is composed of dedicated medical professionals and staff from Sahmyook University in Korea and the Glendale Church in the USA with partners fromlocal medical practitioners and volunteers; local church member volunteers; and concerned local government unit personnel. For each mission event, a total of more or less 300 team members participates with roughly one-third of the number each from the USA and South Korea, from the local medical and church volunteer group, and from the concerned local government unit (LGU).

Medical personnel include:general and orthopedic surgeons, ophthalmologists, OB/gynecologists, family medicine and general practitioners, pediatricians, dentists, anesthesiologists,pharmacists, optometrists,registered nurses, an oriental medicine practitioner, and a chiropractor.

Other volunteers include:those with medical background from thelocal churches and LGU for taking vital signs and assessing patients during registration, those with experience in constructions which handles the repairs of housing units, those with background on teaching forchildren’s special education, facilitators for the general flow of the event and clothing and rice distribution, assistants and interpreters, and barbers for free haircut.

SERVICES RENDERED

The GKAMMT provides services in four areas of community needs: medical and dental services, food and clothing stopgaps, shelter repairs and improvement assistance, and other services.  

Medical and Dental Services

            Majority of the GKAMMT resources are allocated to medical and dental services. These services include general health check-up; dental care which involves cleaning, filling, and extraction; minor surgeries like cleft lip surgery, cataract extraction, and circumcision; eye examination and optometric check-up; internal medicine, OB- gynecological and cardiological diagnosis and treatment; pediatrics; and chiropractic and oriental medical treatment.  Along with these services are distribution of medications and vitamins, giving health counsels, and providing reading glasses.

Food and Clothing Stopgaps

            To help alleviate immediate basic needs, GKAMMT distributes packs of rice and clothing to the patients’ families. This may not be a permanent solution for those living in subsistence condition but it is observed that these small gifts give some relief and happiness to the patients, which is believed to contribute to their healing and wellbeing.  This also includes giving assistance to calamity victims if any.

Shelter Repair and Improvement Assistance

            The GKAMMT provides construction materials and labor for the repair and improvement of shelter of selected church members.  Apart from being part of Christians’ mission to care for their brothers, providing shelter with roofing that does not leak and proper sanitation facilities, protective walls, and good ventilation is deemed directly connected with good health.

Other Services

            Other services include health lectures and especial education for children.  While the patients are waiting their turn, videos on health issues and healthy lifestyle promotion are shown to provide patients with knowledge that may empower and encourage them to practice a healthy lifestyle. The special classes for children offer fun and engaging activities that may help them develop a positive outlook in life.  As part of good grooming, the Team also offer free haircut. 

TRACK RECORD

            In its ten-year operations, the GKAMMT has served a total of 58,500 patients. These include patients of minor surgeries such as those who have undergone cleft lip surgery in 2023 and the 100 patients who had cataract extraction in 2025. Medical missions are conducted once a year. (Note: Count records are based on the number of cases treated, where a patient may be counted twice for having treated two illnesses; figures are rounded to the nearest hundreds.)

YEAR	PLACE	NO. OF DAYS	SERVED CLIENTELE
2015	Puerto Princesa, Palawan	4	2,500
2016	Las Pinas, Metro Manila	4	4,000
2017	Las Pinas, Metro Manila	4	5,000
2018	San Pablo, Laguna	5	7,000
2019	Imus, Cavite	5	10,000
2020	Tubigon, Bohol	5	6,000
2021 and 2022	(Sent boxes of relief goods to Covid 19 victims)
2023	Imus, Cavite	5	7,000
2024	San Pablo, Laguna	5	10,000
2025	Silang, Cavite	5	7,000
TOTAL			58.500

            Each destination was chosen based on the severity of healthcare needs and the potential impact the mission could have on the local community.

IMPACT ANALYSIS

            This comprehensive and compassionate approach has not only alleviated immediate health concerns but also fostered long-term wellness and hope in the communities served.

            The services also impact on the Church mission in terms of church membership, activity, and spiritual revival. Recognizing the relevance of the local Church’s participation in providing social services to the community, the concerned local government become more supportive of the Church’s endeavors facilitating its continuous growth.   

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

            The idea of medical missions is deeply engrained in the Adventist faith emphasizing the importance of caring for the physical, mental, and spiritual well being of others.  The Glendale Korean SDA Medical Mission are rooted in the SDA Church’s value of serving others and promoting health care.  As part of this Church network, Adventist Health Glendale has been involved in various community outreach program and medical missions since its establishment in 1905.

            The conception of an overseas mission by the Glendale Church emanated from a Filipino friend’s request for medical services in view of the health services gaps in the Philippines. The proposal was approved by the Glendale Church Board.  Its initial mission event was in partnership with the Rotary Club Philippines,local Government and eventually involved local Adventist Church. 

Key People

            Dr. Joshep Kang, (OB/GYN and elder) of the Glendale Church played a pivotal role in initiating the program. Pastor Ki W. Kim, the spiritual leader of the Church provided unwavering support.

Elder Young Lee and Professor Yoon Jung Hwang (Sahmyook University in Korea) are instrumental in organizing and executing the missions and coordinated logistics and medical supplies ensuring each mission’s smooth operation.

 We also have local coordinators for this medical mission who are attorney Gani Capina, Elder Harry Bing and Dr. Alexa Eline Tajud (Dentist)

MOVING FORWARD

            The GKAMMT recognizes the need for continuous improvement of its services provision system to meet the communities’ evolving needs and to sustain the Team’s operations.  As such following is the evaluation of the Team’s current status considering basic elements for its more effective and sustainable operations.    

Elements	Current Status/Practices	Room for Improvement
Planning and Preparation	·     Clear goals and objectivesCollaboration – work with local partners and organizationsRealistic budget and resource allocation	Needs assessment to understand specific health needs and challenges of the target communityVolunteer training to ensure that they are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge
Sustainability	Training and education – provide counsels and information on health issues and preventive measures as well as pointers for a healthy lifestyle Establish partnership with local organization for sustained support and follow-up care	Empower local health care systems by building the capacity of local health care providers
Cultural Sensitivity	Effective communication through interpretersInvolving community members in planning and implementation to ensure ownership and buy-in	Providing educational materials in local language
Evaluation	Monitoring and evaluation of the mission’s impact to identify areas for improvementData collection	Feedback and learning from volunteers, local partners, and beneficiaries to improve future missionsData collection specific to key health indicators to assess the effectiveness of the rendered services.