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Sister Patricia Patton Sister Pat is one of 650 Medical Mission Sisters in 19 nations trying to be present to others in the spirit of Jesus the Healer. Born and raised in Tarrytown, New York, Sister Pat earned her R.N. from St. John's Hospital in Long Island before joining the Medical Mission Sisters. She studied nurse-midwifery at Catholic Maternity Institute in Santa Fe, and then began mission in Ghana, working as a nurse and hospital administrator. After returning to Philadelphia to serve as Postulant Mistress for 5 years, Sister Pat went back to Africa. From 1971 to 1982, Sister Pat helped establish the first hospital in Maasai land, Loitokitok District Hospital in Kenya, where she was Matron. During these years, "I had become interested in Community Based Health Care," she explains. The Bishop then invited her to establish a program in Ngong Diocese, which covers most of the tribal lands of the Maasai people. "This meant preparing myself for an entirely different approach to health care, and combining health care with the development of people." The first step was to do a basic survey, to identify the primary health care needs. The community then selected the women and men they wanted to be trained as Community Health Workers (CHWs). Over 300 CHWs were trained in concepts of basic hygiene, HIV/AIDS, and other health issues. They then went out and taught their individual communities what they learned. "Six of the Maasai communities that we had trained in the earlier years have come together now to form a group … to teach their own communities about HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, and available services," Sister Pat says. "I feel all of this is an outgrowth of our earlier efforts." An integrated group from a number of tribes in the parish has also formed to address the problems of HIV/AIDS. "We decided to have a resource center, so that we could reach teachers, secondary school students, and the local population," Sister Pat explains. "We started with a series of classes in our parish, and then we linked up with the Centers for Disease Control in Nairobi." The new Center, Boma la Tumaini (House of Hope) was dedicated on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2004. Over 100 people come to Boma la Tumaini each month for testing. If they are positive, they are able to get anti-retroviral drugs through a private clinic. "We're very lucky," Sister Pat says. After 34 years in Loitokitok, she finds joy in seeing the fruits of her labor.
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