Global Health Feb Newsletter: Spotlight on Extraordinary Healthcare Volunteers

Spotlight on Extraordinary Healthcare Volunteers - Meet Milton and Debbie Drake

Trained in internal medicine at Temple University, Dr. Milton Drake and his wife, Debbie, made the decision to follow Jesus in 1985 in the Northwest Region of the Boston Church of Christ. They have generously donated their time and talents to many projects for HOPE worldwide since its inception, both at home and around the world.

In 1999, the Drakes traveled to the devastated region of Phnom Penh, Cambodia to share their hearts and their expertise at the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE (SHCH). When they arrived with their son Jonathan—then a medical student, now an emergency physician—to serve in this country after a brutal war, they were shocked to witness the impact of nearly wiping out the country’s medical services. Impressed by the dual mission of the staff to not only meet the immediate medical needs of the Cambodian people, but also to educate and train healthcare professionals on a long-term basis, Milton, Debbie and Jonathan rolled up their sleeves to assist in care and learn about the hospital and its dedicated staff.

Inspired by the vibrant spirit of service they saw in the face of such pressing need, Milton and Debbie have since returned to Cambodia twelve more times to help with this groundbreaking work, which has expanded to include specialized medical treatment in Phnom Penh and the rural provinces of Cambodia. They teach the medical staff, assist in patient care, and have helped develop groundbreaking programs. Milton’s work at Harvard served as the template for SHCH’s Anticoagulation Program—preventing blood clot formation caused by prevalent rheumatic heart disease from a lack of proper treatment for untreated childhood conditions due to poverty and lack of medical care.

Over the past twenty years, the Drakes’ original work has expanded to create vital partnerships with healthcare professionals in the US, especially in Lowell, MA, home to one of the largest Cambodian immigrant populations in the country.

• Lowell General Hospital and SHCH formed a partnership. Doctors at Lowell General like Sovann Yong, a Cambodian ER physician, joined the cause to support the work.
• Lowell General donated an ultrasound machine in order to more accurately and rapidly diagnose and treat ER patients. In Autumn of 2019, hospital executives Jodie White, Dr. Yong and Amy Hoye traveled to Phnom Penh with their spouses to visit SHCH and certify four physicians in ultrasound testing in the Emergency Department.
• UMASS hosts a charity basketball game benefitting SHCH.
• For the past eleven years, The Boston Church has partnered with the mayor and city council of Lowell, raising over $600,000 to support the work.

The Drakes have a passion for service because they are convinced it brings together all the things disciples of Jesus most desire and value: serving God, serving people in need and supporting heroes in the trenches doing the hard work. Not only is service biblical, aligning with the calling of Christ, but it is extremely gratifying. Fostering and cultivating partnerships with volunteers, hospitals, universities and nonprofit organizations has deeply connected them to fellow medical professionals and Cambodian-American citizens. Their goal is to create opportunities for future generations that will expand treatment in rural provinces, upgrade facilities and equipment and train young, enthusiastic skilled medical professionals.

The Drake family is just one example of the dedicated professionals who devote their lives to the life-changing work of healthcare for the materially poor and needy. Milton continues to practice medicine in Chelmsford, MA, and is convinced that God uses faith and consistency over time to create opportunities. As Milton and Debbie approach their 80s, they have the same zeal for this work as when it began. But they also feel the calling to do what they can to inspire future volunteers who will carry the baton in this life-changing work.

Are you interested in using your time, talents and training as a healthcare professional to meet needs all over the world with HOPE worldwide ?

To learn more visit hopeww.org/volunteer-opportunities.