About White Memorial

Responding to the Needs Beyond Our Own Communities

When natural disasters devastated several communities in the U.S. and abroad last year, WMMC physicians and employees immediately responded as they only know how — with an overwhelming sense of care and compassion.

Prayers and monetary aid flowed out of the hearts of our physicians and employees, driving the hospital to match these funds with contributions to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). But beyond traditional forms of humanitarian aid, the heroic stories of a physician resident and two nurses at WMMC stand out as examples of our employees’ efforts.

Nurmala Tambunan, RN, reaches out to her native Indonesia.

When an earthquake and tsunami hit the coastal regions of South Asia in December 2004, Nurmala Tambunan, RN, Intensive Care Unit, wanted to help. She volunteered to provide direct patient care to victims in her homeland of Indonesia for four weeks through a WMMC partnership with International Medical Corps (IMC).

During the weeks she spent in Banda Aceh and on the island of Nias, she came across victims living in makeshift tents, patients with disfigured faces and filthy emergency rooms. Sadness and tears overwhelmed her and her fellow humanitarians.

However, Tambunan took matters into her own hands by purchasing curtains so patients could have some privacy. Also, she encouraged native nurses to continue their education, and offered personally to mail health magazines to them. Tambunan even took on the responsibility of sponsoring the education of a young male nursing student, who was separated from his family during the chaotic destruction.

“This was an opportunity to give back to my people of Indonesia. The joy of serving and making a difference is priceless,” she said.

	Christine Zaiser, RN, on board the USNS Mercy.

Christine Zaiser, RN, Cardiac Catheterization Lab and Emergency Department, lived and served aboard the USNS Mercy for three and a half weeks. This colossal ship anchored 20 miles off the coast of the island of Nias. Zaiser’s medical team, organized by the relief agency Project Hope, provided tertiary care on this floating trauma center.

Zaiser not only cared for earthquake victims, who had many femur fractures, shattered pelvises, and broken bones, but also treated other medical cases brought on board.  

On July 21, 2005, President George W. Bush recognized Zaiser and her Project Hope team at the White House for their humanitarian efforts in helping the disaster areas of Indonesia.

And more recently, Leo Rodriguez, MD, Internal Medicine Resident, volunteered in New Orleans, La. after the region was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. With the support of Shaw Chen, MD, Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, he was able to spend a week helping hurricane victims.

Leo Rodriguez, MD, helps a Hurricane Katrina victim.

Dr. Rodriguez was stationed in a parking lot across from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. He worked with the Northwest Medical Disaster Team, the only organized medical operation in the Orleans Parish at the time.

Dr. Rodriguez delivered two suitcases full of wound dressings and insulin syringes donated by WMMC, and treated a variety of cases from exposed injuries to heart attacks.

“Many patients saw that I came from an Adventist Health hospital, and would talk with me, whether they were Seventh-day Adventist or not,” said Dr. Rodriguez, who wore his WMMC identification badge and scrubs every day. “Conversations about our faith were comforting during such a difficult time.”

Each employee at WMMC lives the hospital’s mission in their own unique way, but the stories of these three heroes exemplify the spirit of service that embodies our workforce. In all these cases, WMMC gladly supported their efforts. After this series of disasters, WMMC developed a humanitarian response policy that formalizes our efforts to reach out when our global communities need us.