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Dec 20, 2011 | EDOT Staff

St. Luke's Episcopal Health System to Help Australian Upstart

The General Synod Standing Committee of the Anglican Church of Australia recently resolved to explore the feasibility of establishing an Anglican Health Network within the province. Dr Alan Crouch, a population health specialist with extensive experience throughout Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Americas and Europe will be leading this initiative on behalf of the Standing Committee. Based in Cairns, Northern Queensland, Dr Crouch currently oversees public health outreach programmes for the state government in the remote Cape York and Torres Strait Island communities.

 

The focus of this exploration will be two-fold: to consider, first, how an Australian Anglican Health Network might address health ministry needs in Australia and its immediate neighbourhood and, secondly, how such a network might align with the structure and aims of the communion-wide Anglican Health Network.

 

This potential growth in AHN will be supplemented by additional capacity to meet its objectives throughout the network. The Coordinating Board recently recruited Revd Sarah Hayes from Birmingham UK. Revd Hayes brings her experience as a lawyer specialising in church based community programmes, and in particular her work in developing innovative financing mechanisms for faith based social welfare projects.

 

In the New Year, a member of staff from St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System Houston will offer dedicated support for some of the medical related activities of the network. A volunteer intern based in Switzerland will focus on data gathering and communications.