Health is wealth, and one way to prove how vital health-care service is to the community is by developing and creating opportunities for the public to have easier access to high-quality health-care services. This thought encouraged the Adventist Medical Center Manila (AdventistMed) leadership to establish new projects to bring health care closer to the community.

After three months in office, elected president and CEO Jun Apacible led the medical center to launch two projects to expand the hospital’s services to its patients. Spearheaded by the AdventistMed leadership, a newly established outpatient pharmacy and vegetarian restaurant called Healthy Bites were completed and are now ready for service.  

These two projects are part of AdventistMed’s Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) program. The projects were completed in 141 days from conception, while following the hospital objective, SHINE, which means “Share Hope, Health, and Happiness in Neighborhoods Everywhere.”

“AdventistMed established these projects to bring our valuable services to the community and people. Because during the pandemic, people feared getting inside the hospital, where the main pharmacy and Healthy Bites were located,” Apacible said.

The two establishments are located within the AdventistMed premises at the heart of Pasay City, Philippines. The medical center is one of three hospitals in the metropolis. The addition of these establishments provides the hospital with an opportunity to create more connections to the public through holistic health-care services. The outpatient pharmacy and Healthy Bites are part of the progressive plan to accomplish the #MissionExcellence thrust of the hospital.

The city government of Pasay expressed appreciation to the hospital for its initiative to expand its services to the community through these newly established projects. Pasay City mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano expressed her support through representatives who attended the inauguration. Chief of staff Peter Pardo and city health officer Maria Lourdes San Juan were present to represent the municipal office. The barangay (district) was represented by its chairperson, Lily Balanon. 

The Adventist Church in the North Philippines supported this program through Cavite Mission health ministries director Jadaza M. Hintay and Integrated Evangelism Lifestyle director Marvin C. Diaz.

Healthy Bites is a vegetarian restaurant that aims to promote health and well-being to its patients, employees, students, and customers through nutritious, balanced, and affordable healthy options. Its services are not limited to food service but also include diet counseling to patients as prescribed by doctors and food service to large events. The new outpatient pharmacy is also open to the public for high-quality, affordable medicines for the community.

The original version of this story was posted on the Southern Asia-Pacific Division news site.