This summer, more than 50 Adventist Health volunteers gathered at Adventist Health headquarters in Roseville, California, for a service project supporting rural communities in Fiji.
Volunteers assembled 1,023 kits designed to address basic foot and wound care, especially for people with diabetes. The kits contained socks, closed-toe shoes and wound-care essentials such as antiseptic, antibiotic ointment, gauze and bandages — essential items in regions where many people go barefoot. Volunteers added a personal touch by including a handout with a message about the importance of foot care, a photo of the volunteers who assembled the kit and handwritten greetings.
Being part of this project was especially appealing to Benjamin Ruderman, Adventist Health electronic health record certified systems analyst, in part because it is a tangible way to make a difference.
“Working in IT on the Epic project, it isn’t always easy to feel how our work connects to our mission of living God’s love,” Ruderman said. “Our mission is why I’m still with Adventist Health after 17 years. I started as a first responder, and I’ve seen the impact of that mission on real people, real lives, right in front of me. I also knew I wasn’t alone on the Epic team in the desire to make a difference and to connect with other team members. My goal for this project was not only to make a positive impact, but also to create an opportunity for our team to make a difference together in a way that was immediately visible.”
The wound care kits will be shipped to Fiji in preparation for an Adventist Health Global Mission trip scheduled for January 2027, when volunteers from Adventist Health Columbia Gorge, Adventist Health Portland and Adventist Health Tillamook will distribute them. The volunteers will also provide diabetes screenings, wound assessment and treatment, and community-based education on diabetes management and foot care.
“Adventist Health will be taking wound care specialists based in our hospitals — both nurses and physicians — directly to communities,” said John Schroer, Adventist Health director for Global Mission. “It’s a win-win to leverage the knowledge of these experts to expand access to healthcare around the world.”
This initiative is part of a collaboration between Adventist Health Global Mission and the 10,000 Toes Campaign, an organization based in Australia dedicated to combating diabetes across the South Pacific. Life in these tropical climates comes with opportunities to walk barefoot, but this also means increased risk of cuts and scrapes on the feet. For individuals with diabetes without proper care, these wounds can lead to serious complications, including amputations.
“I have coworkers with family in Fiji and coworkers born in Fiji,” Ruderman said. “I also know many people affected by diabetes. So this project really hits home. As we were working on the kits, I felt overwhelming gratitude for the generosity of time and effort from my teammates. I also felt joy in the camaraderie I witnessed and humility in having the opportunity to be a part of the healing picture in such a tangible way.”
The group of volunteers is comprised largely of team members involved in the new Epic electronic health record implementation at Adventist Health.
Foot-care kits include first aid essentials, socks and a pair of closed-toe shoes.
Kits also include a handwritten note and photo of the volunteers who assembled the kit.
