Central Texas Medical Center Extends Healing Ministry In Honduras

“We found the child, who was having a severe asthma attack,” said Karen Morris, CTMC director of ancillary services.

SAN MARCOS, TEXAS – Eighteen volunteers and medical professionals from Central Texas Medical Center (CTMC) recently traveled to Honduras to extend the healing ministry of Christ to those in need.

The team saw 778 patients in 4 days, providing medical treatment, screenings, eyeglasses, medications, toothbrushes and an abundance of love and compassion to the Pena Blanca region.

During their time in Central America, the CTMC team traveled to areas where people can not normally access medical services.

On the second day of the trip, the brakes went out on the bus, setting the group back about an hour.

During that time, a call came in alerting the team to a sick child along the route who was in urgent need of medical treatment.

“We found the child, who was having a severe asthma attack,” said Karen Morris, CTMC director of ancillary services. “Dr. Sue Ann Harrison and the pharmacy team were able to get the child the medication he needed, and he was doing much better within 15 minutes. Had the brakes not failed, we would not have been on the right part of the road to take care of that child.”

Morris has led the way for 14 CTMC-sponsored medical mission trips to Honduras since 2007. In that time, 15,093 patients have received needed medical care.

“It is truly a blessing for CTMC to be a part of this important ministry,” said CTMC CEO Anthony Stahl, who attended last year’s mission trip. “These clinics allow hundreds of people to receive essential medical services that they would have no way to access otherwise.”

Those who volunteered on the trip were:

• Elsie Graves, RN, CTMC Chief Nursing Officer
• Avis Harris-Caldwell, RN, CTMC Director of Women’s Services
• Dr. Sue Ann Harrison, Corridor Pediatrics, and husband Steve Floyd
• Dr. Amy Hernandez, Live Oak Health Partners
• Sonia Martinez, CTMC CREATION Health Institute
• Dr. Steve Minor, Cardiologist
• Nahum Melendez, CTMC Chaplain
• Karen Morris, CTMC Administrative Director of Ancillary Services
• Rev. Ben Nelson Rector, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
• OT Ortunio, CTMC Laboratory, and husband Ramon Ortunio
• Dr. Nicole Riojas, Live Oak Health Partners
• Ben Rodríguez, parishioner, First United Methodist Church
• Salomon Sweat, RN, CTMC Emergency Department
• Rev. Todd Salmi, Associate Rector, First United Methodist Church
• Lynn Thornbrough, Parishioner, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

If you would like more information on CTMC’s medical mission work in Honduras, please email Karen.morris@ahs.org.

About CTMC
The hospital, which originated in 1923 as Hays County Soldiers, Sailors and Marines Memorial Hospital, opened at its current Wonder World Drive location in 1983. The CTMC staff of more than 700 employees works with more than 220 active and consulting physicians to provide quality services to patients and their families.

For more than 20 consecutive years, CTMC has been named The Best Hospital in Hays County in the annual “Best of Hays” publication released by the San Marcos Daily Record. In addition to interventional cardiac services, CTMC is a Certified Chest Pain Center and an accredited Primary Stroke Center.

CTMC leads the region in da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery and offers a variety of specialty care services including medical imaging, rehabilitation, home health care, hospice, women’s services and more.

For more information, follow CTMC on Facebook and Twitter, and visit our website at ctmc.org.

CTMC is a member of the Adventist Health System (AHS), a not-for-profit healthcare organization that emphasizes Christ at the center of care.

Founded in 1973, Adventist Health System is a national leader in quality, safety and patient satisfaction. Today, Adventist Health System supports 45 campuses in 10 states and employs nearly 80,000 individuals.

Adventist Health System hospitals are comprised of nearly 8,300 licensed beds, providing care for 5 million patients each year in inpatient, outpatient and emergency room visits.