Adventist Health FAQ

Curious about the questions we encounter most often? Scroll down for a complete list. If you don’t find the answer you need, feel free to contact us.

How is the health system associated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church?

We owe much of our heritage to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which began a successful healthcare ministry in 1866 when it opened its first sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. Like our church forefathers, we promote wellness and treatment of the whole person — mind, body and spirit. However, we are separately owned and operated.

Do you have to be a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to receive care?

Absolutely not. While our healthcare system is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we care equally for all of our patients regardless of their personal faiths or beliefs.

How did Adventists get involved in healthcare?

Adventist Health is a humanitarian expression of the Adventist faith and a contemporary expression of the healing ministry of Jesus. Our story is rooted in the life of Jesus and the history of his followers who, as we do today, responded with urgency to the crises of their day. Read our story in our magazine “Living God’s Love: The Story of Adventist Health.”

Do you serve meat in your hospitals?

While the Seventh-day Adventist Church does promote a vegetarian diet as part of a healthy lifestyle, most of our medical centers do serve meat to patients. Rather than impose our dietary habits on those we care for, we do everything we can to create a comfortable, healing environment for those we serve.

What is AdventHealth and how is it related to Adventist Health?

AdventHealth, headquartered in Altamonte Springs, Florida, is a sister healthcare organization serving the central and southern states along with Colorado. While we share a common heritage and affiliation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we are separately owned and operated.

Is Loma Linda University Medical Center a member of Adventist Health?

No. While we do participate in several joint ventures with LLUMC, it is a freestanding institution solely owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Is Adventist Health interested in expanding its service area?

We would consider a new relationship with a facility that shares our mission and is located in the western United States. If a hospital wishes to join our health system, our senior vice president responsible for acquisitions will be happy to discuss various acquisition/management scenarios. For more information, call (916) 406-1371.

What does it mean to be nonprofit?

As a nonprofit organization, all of our net revenue is channeled back into our medical centers and health system. Unlike for-profit healthcare corporations, this money does not become dividend checks to investors. Instead, it funds capital improvements, enhanced patient care, new medical center programs and community outreach.

What is the Adventist Health policy regarding death with dignity?

After careful consideration, Adventist Health has chosen not to participate under the “death with dignity” legislation in any of the states in which we have operations. This means that no Adventist Health employees, independent contractors, or other persons or entities may participate in activities under any death with dignity law while on the premises of an Adventist Health facility, or while acting within the scope of any employment or contractual relationship with Adventist Health. If a patient requests assistance under a death with dignity law, a referral may be provided.

In keeping with our mission, we believe our providers have an obligation to openly discuss the patient’s concerns, unmet needs, feelings and desires about the dying process. Our goal is to help our providers pursue the underlying causes regarding the patient’s questions and help the patient understand the range of available options, including comfort care, hospice care and pain control. We encourage all providers to respond to a patient’s query about life-ending medication with openness and compassion. Ultimately, our goal is to help patients make informed decisions about end-of-life care.