Taitung, Taiwan: 1961. The savage sun beats down upon the backs of men tending to the fields. Their skin scorched red by its ravaging rays, but there is no time to halt. Work means Life and Life must be lived. Not far away on those very fields, a weary woman lays incarcerated by the earth, pulse pounding, rags drenched in sweat and blood.

And just as her last breath is taken from her, her newborn child breathes its first.

It was from this dire image that St. Mary's Hospital was born. Greatly afflicted by the sight of women bearing babies in the fields and the poor sanitary conditions, Swiss fathers and Irish sisters in Taitung began to raise money abroad to build St. Mary's as a center for obstetrics. They introduced physicians and equipment to Taiwan and even trained local nurses to practice as "fake nurses" without certificates due to a shortage of professionals.

If you visit the hospital today, you may be surprised. St. Mary's is not your conventional hospital. Affectionately known as "Taiwan's Biggest Little Hospital" Taitung St. Mary's Hospital may only have 29 hospital beds, but its health promotion and outreach programs permeate deeply throughout the county, helping thousands every year. Early in the morning, a nun, nurse and doctor are en route together to care for patients in their homes. A delivery truck, heavily laden with meals for the elderly winds through the mountains not far behind. Later on, a team of social workers and aromatherapists lead a dozen elderly Aboriginal women in gentle exercises and invigorating massages. In the afternoon, guest doctors lecture patients on diabetes prevention and care. Meanwhile, trained volunteers guide visitors on a tour of the lush St. Mary's Organic Health Farm or Pei-Tse Institute, a learning center for chronic illnesses.

But despite its flourishing facade, St. Mary's Hospital has been inundated with financial difficulties and has come desperately close to shutting its doors not once, but twice within the past decade. Ironically, hospital employees have won six "Medical Devotion Awards" as well as the prestigious "Group Medical Devotion Award" in 2008. This makes the hospital the most frequent recipient of public commendation in all of Taiwan. However, in 2009 financial woes came to an apex. The hospital was unable to pay workers' salaries and faced the possibility of closure. The closure of the hospital would not only mean the peoples' loss of many good doctors and nurses, but also the loss of the top diabetes group in Taiwan and the only hospice care in Taitung. A hospital with over half a century of history caring for and pouring love into the county of Taitung would be lost. Would the cost of up-keeping the hospital outweigh the price of the patients' well-being? If such an outstanding hospital was forced to close, what was wrong with the medical systems in Taiwan? St. Mary's realized that if the hospital was to survive, it would have to raise a stifling $30million NT.

Fundraising commenced. Telephones rang round-the-clock, emails flooded in non-stop. The staff of St. Mary's had not even a moment to sleep! And in April of 2009, an amazing thing happened. The "Love" which St. Mary's had so unreservedly poured into Taitung for the past 50 years, flowed back into the hospital, but this time from all directions across the globe. In just 8 days, the world's biggest little hospital raised an astonishing $89million NT from generous contributors –nearly three times the projected goal of $30 million NT! We were deeply moved by their acts of kindness and generosity!

The positive energy that has surrounded Taitung St. Mary's Hospital is more than just the reward of the compassionate seeds planted in the hospital's early history; it represents the yearning in contemporary Taiwanese Society for a more humane model of medicine. Over the years, the endless devotion of many outstanding individuals from Jennifer Chen, a woman who was taken no more than a $1 wage over the past 30 years, to Sense Chen, who sacrificed his high-paying job as a writer and museum curator in Taipei to serve as St. Mary's CEO, has shaped the shining identity of St. Mary's Hospital. Driven by a simple phrase: "To do what others don't and go where others won't," the compassionate staff and volunteers of St. Mary's Hospital strive to fulfill the never-ending project to "Love God, Love people! Respect life! And serve the poor!"

 

"If they can't come to us, we'll go to them!"

In addition to clinical and inpatient work, St. Mary's Hospital places great emphasis on domiciliary care. Today the love of Sister Patricia Aycock lives on. For over 30 years and without any government subsidies, the American Sister managed to help take care of the poorest aborigines by riding a motorcycle or driving a car loaded with medicines and patient files to their homes in the mountains. Sister Patricia founded the first homecare service in Taitung. Currently, a passionate team of doctors and nurses work together to provide homecare of the highest quality to patients across 170-km of Taitung coastline. Moreover, the hospital does not even charge patients for transportation fees although these are not covered by health insurance. As a result of their dedication, the ratio of St. Mary's patients in hospital to patients served offsite is 1:8 –the highest in the nation! However, this is not simply a statistic; it is the purest and most authentic manifestation of a "hospital without walls."

 

"From the moment you are born, your parents are the only people who would sacrifice everything for you, including one of the most precious things of all: life."

In Taiwanese culture respect for the elderly is a very important value. In the beginning, parents do everything to provide for and take care of their children. But as they grow older, they require more patience, more love and more care. Taitung, however, is one the poorest counties in Taiwan. Often the children of elderly individuals must work during the day and cannot take care of their parents. Nursing homes and 24-hour care are simply too expensive for these families to afford. As an expression of love without boundaries, Taitung St. Mary's Hospital offers elderly daycare to the people of Taitung, a chance for children to care for their parents from afar. Six days a week, dear elderly individuals are brought to St. Mary's Hospital, which is fully accessible and provides free transportation. Here, an energetic, but gentle group of nurses provides them with meals and the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities including aromatherapy massage, exercise and arts.

 

In Taitung the incidence of diabetes is very high, especially among the aboriginal population. It is estimated that 20-30% of the population with diabetes does not even know that they are suffering from it. Lack of education, poor diet and lifestyle regimes are all contributors to this problem. Despite this, the aboriginals often say, "You come to tell us not to smoke, nor to drink, nor to chew betel, but these are our happiest things." Of course, one cannot force another to change their habits; however, it is hoped that by proper example and supportive guidance, we can help people from all walks of life to achieve happier, healthier lives.

St. Mary's Hospital changed their approach by creating a diabetic care center. This center offers a diabetic patient group as well as a number of diabetic camps designed to focus on promoting a healthy lifestyle (eating, sleeping and exercise) for blood sugar management. Within Taiwan, St. Mary's Diabetic Care Center is one of the first to implement, monitor and educate patients on the concept of "Diabetes ABC's" where:

A stands for the A1C test, which monitors average blood glucose levels over the past 2-3 months. The AC1 goal for many people is below 7%.

 

B stands for blood pressure which is normally 130/80.

 

C stands for cholesterol. Levels of LDL or "bad" cholesterol should be below 100mg/dl and HDL or "good" cholesterol should be above 40mg/dl.

All these components are key to reducing risk of heart attack, stroke and other diabetic problems, as well as a general healthy lifestyle.

 

"The fragrance of beautiful hearts and deeds."
When she first began her job as an aromatherapist, Nicole Wu never dreamed that she would go from serving the wealthiest Taiwanese women in luxurious spas to serving the poorest of the poor at a simple hospital in Taitung. But in 2009, she gave up everything -a well-paying job in Taipei, a nice home and closeness to family - to dedicate herself to the great needs of Taitung.

Devastated by the mass flooding in 2009, hundreds of empty-handed victims couldn't eat or sleep. Instead of taking a sleeping pill, they lined up for aromatherapy massage led by Nicole. Aromatherapy is a non-invasive therapeutic technique that utilizes essential oils to calm, relax and invigorate the body. This proved to be a great success.

After this, St. Mary's Hospital introduced aromatherapy to help the elderly and patients with regular oil massage. Aromatherapy is used widely in St. Mary's Hospice Program to soothe the pain of patients and improve their quality of sleep. We teach the family members of terminal cancer patients how to massage. A gratified family member once said, "Thank you, my mother passed in fragrance." A Sister on her deathbed with terminal cancer told all of her fellow Sisters "You have to learn aromatherapy!" The hospital has been praised because of its use of aromatherapy through various assessments and evaluations.

But aromatherapy isn't just for hospice. It has become an integral part of the hospital and is offered to regular patients, diabetic patients, family members as well as hospital staff. Additionally Teacher Nicole provides aromatherapy education courses for the public.

 

"One ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." -Benjamin Franklin

At St. Mary's Hospital, preventative care is a key focus. Why wait for symptoms to develop and progress, if you can prevent them in the first place? Preventative care encompasses "teaching people to live healthy lives and working to foster a healthy society" from all facets of life: mind, body and spirit.

In 2006, associate administrator Jennifer Chen, convinced a Taitung native by the name Shunzi to set-up and run a health club on a vacant area within the hospital grounds. Two years later what started as the blueprint for a simple coffee-shop in which patients and their relatives would have a comfortable place to rest, was transformed into a luxurious health center with slanted, white walls and long-lattice windows. Now open to the public on a daily basis, St. Mary's Health Club provides the county-residents with delicious organic food and affordable healthy-living classes which provide instruction on a wide array of subjects from diet and nutrition to physical fitness and stress relief.

 

 

In honor of its original founders, Rev. Jacob Hiller and Rev. Alois Burke, the name Pei-Tse Institute, which means “to cultivate quality,” has been preserved.

Located just two kilometers away from St. Mary's Hospital, the Pei-Tse Institute now serves as a learning center for people with chronic illnesses, as well as the general public. This house has shared a long history with the people of Taitung. In 1955, under Rev. Hiller of Societas Missionaria de Bethlehem, the building once offered a place in which impoverished children could access educational opportunities and cultivate character. Now elderly, alumni of Pei-Tse Institute like Ou Chin-teh remember the place with great fondness, saying that he was an obstreperous child until the Institute opened his door to a better education.

Without compromising any of the integrity and spiritual principles exemplified by its original mission, Pei-Tse Institute has undergone extensive renovations with environmental values at the core. The addition of larger windows to make the building connect more harmoniously with the surrounding trees, makes the Pei-Tse Institute a tranquil place where one can come for regular aromatherapy and yoga classes. Additionally, a number of camps specifically tailored for people with chronic illnesses, as well as temporary lodging are available to the general public.

 

9. Stroke Victim Support Group

 

10. Museum of the Living

11. St. Mary's Health Kitchen and Meal Delivery Service

 

12. St. Mary's Health Farm

13. BMRI

 

14. Jialan Health Center

 

Imagine waking up one day to find that of your ten neighbors only two remain.

 

On October 8, 2009, Flood 88 ravaged Taitung, drenching the land and washing away many of the houses of Tai Ma Li township. St. Mary’s Hospital was immediately on the scene, providing aid and relief to disaster survivors. However, we soon realised that there is a great difference between simply rebuilding houses and rebuilding homes. To rebuild a house, you have to set some foundation and lay some bricks, but to rebuild a home and the lives which once filled it, requires much more.

 

Half a year after Flood 88, the Yeh family decided to provide their home to St. Mary’s Hospital to use –not only for the physical needs of disaster victims, but also for spiritual support. Filled with emotion the eldest sister of the family, Shuang-Tao said, “I originally thought that we were just providing our yard for the hospital to use, but I didn’t realise that they would go to such great lengths to make the project perfect. This is the place where we grew up and in my heart it’s still hard to let go. But if you experience the love of God, then you will be willing to give up everything.”

 

Now the Yeh family home has become a home for the entire community. Three times a week, hospital employees come to Jialan Health Center to teach dance, singing, aromatherapy massage and provide company to aboriginal elders and the victims of Flood 88. Through small acts of kindness, the events at Jialan Health Center encourage those from which everything was so heartlessly taken during Flood 88 to love, cherish and take care of each other.

 

15. Spiritual Healing Garden

 

Adjacent to St. Mary's Health Club, the Spiritual Healing Garden is a beautiful and tranquil refuge where patients and passers-by can relax and have fun. In 2007, a patient by the name of Liu was attending a clinic for diabetics on managing blood sugar. Liu felt such a strong affinity for the hospital that he moved all the way from Taipei to Taitung to volunteer for 4 months designing a therapeutic garden. The landscaping expertise of Liu combined with the countless hours of hard work donated by loving volunteers has resulted in a Spiritual Healing Garden which is replete with a flowing stream and picturesque gazebo from which patients and visitors alike may enjoy a soothing respite.

 

16. Sisters' Blessing Cake