Volunteers in the “Adventists in Southern California” health booth sponsored by the Southern California Conference (SCC), Loma Linda University, White Memorial and Glendale Adventist medical centers and Simi Valley Hospital regularly find people with undiagnosed or untreated hypertension. The 2004 booth was no exception. A number of individuals had systolic blood pressure levels of more than 200; a significant number registered in the “significant” to “severe” hypertension levels.

Many, including one fair employee, did not know they had hypertension. Despite the levels the volunteer found, he said, “I don’t have high blood pressure.” Though she had tested him twice, the volunteer suggested that he check with his doctor. A week later, he returned. “My doctor agreed with your volunteer, and I am on medication now. Thank you for what you are doing here.”

Tillie Sakai, RN, a member of the Thousand Oaks church, drove up to two hours to get to the fair. She said, “I like to make people aware of their health situation and to educate them on how they can improve their current condition. A 34-year-old man came to the booth with his wife and their two children. His blood pressure was very high, with his diastolic level over 200, so I was concerned.

“They wanted to visit other exhibits, but I urged him to return to the booth for another reading and encouraged his wife to make sure that he was retested very soon, either at our booth or by his doctor.”

John Rowe, RN, from the Roubidoux church, has volunteered in the health booth a number of times in the past few years because he feels strongly that health ministry is a neglected field. “At the booth, people come to us. Even if people have quality health insurance, their physicians may not always have time to answer questions about managing their health. In a booth setting, volunteer health professionals can do that.”

Pastor Albert Frederico of the Hacienda Heights American and Japanese Church sponsored two whole days in the booth, involving members throughout the 10- or 11-hour days at the fair. “Health ministry is an area of service for which the Adventist church has been uniquely gifted. Volunteering in the booth keeps me aware of how to meet people where they are,” he said. “It gives me an opportunity serve with my members and to help meet some of the people’s needs, which Ellen White referred to as ‘serving disinterestedly.’”

General practitioner Basil Vassantachart, M.D., and his family, Hollywood Thai church members, have conducted bone scans in the booth. Noting that he does not come to promote his practice, he said, “When I work for the church, we are doing medical missionary work as a means of introducing people to the church. People really appreciate the free scanning. Some have told us that our encounter was the first time they had heard about the Adventist church.”