Following is a summary of an article published in the Church News on Friday, Apr 17, ’09 “Church leaders and physicians share common goal to help God's children”   By R. Scott Lloyd.

Health-care providers have a sacred trust by nature of their professional callings to heal, President Henry B. Eyring told members of an association of Latter-day Saint physicians April 2 in Salt Lake City.  

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

President Henry B. Eyring receives award presented by Dr. Glen Morrell of Collegium Aesculapium, an association of LDS physicians. Church leaders and physicians play a role in the Lord's health-care system, President Eyring said.

Pres. Eyring was the featured speaker at the dinner for Collegium Aesculapium, attended by members, spouses and guests, part of the organization's annual conference.

"You and I share a common goal to help Heavenly Father heal his children," said President Eyring. "You spend most of your working lives trying to do it from within a system intended to promote physical healing. I spend most of my waking and sleeping hours trying to help Heavenly Father within a system He designed to make possible the spiritual healing of His children.”

"Because we are all Latter-day Saints, we have had experiences in both systems. As bishops, as teachers of Laurels and MIA Maids, as missionaries and as parents we have labored to help Heavenly Father heal the souls of His children. We have felt that healing in ourselves. We have been receivers and givers of spiritual health care."

President Eyring began his address by speaking of the test of mortality that was presented to Heavenly Father's children in the pre-mortal existence. "When it was explained to us, we shouted for joy," he said. It is remarkable, because the test of mortality was to be so difficult." He noted that memory of the pre-earth life would be blocked and that God's spirit children would be given physical bodies subject to disease, decay and powerful urges.

The Father made it possible by sending His Beloved Son to pay the price of sins that mortals would commit and allow them to be cleansed through humble obedience to covenants, President Eyring said. "He would send the Holy Ghost to comfort and show the way. And He would send helpers to comfort, to encourage and to lift us up that we might endure."

President Eyring told the association of health providers: "Heavenly Father wants to heal His children from sin and suffering. By the nature of your professional callings, you come into the lives of people when they are humbled by their need to be physically healed. They look to you for relief. If they trust you, they surrender to your judgment, your skill and your choice to do what is best for them."

President Eyring said that while he shares with the health-care providers a duty to heal Heavenly Father's children, "you have the advantage over me in your great experience in the world's physical heath-care system. In this system, you have been the wonderful providers. . .” President Eyring recounted that just over a year ago, having just been called as first counselor to President Thomas S. Monson; he was preparing for general conference and, in addition, was to be the speaker for the First Presidency in the General Young Women Meeting. He began experiencing blackouts, the first of which caused him to fall and to fracture his right leg.

In receiving treatment, he observed the unity with which physicians worked together for his benefit. "Each had a separate practice and specialty," he said. "They did not all know each other. And yet as I went from office to office, it was as if they were one. They would already know what others had learned and what they believed about what had been happening to me. I could see the miracle of records and communication technology behind that."

President Eyring concluded that "whatever promotes and preserves unity among people in a physical health-care system will promote its effectiveness in helping people be healed. Do what you can to build that sense of being one and avoid whatever might divide you."

Ultimately, President Eyring said, surgeons placed a device in his chest to remedy a pattern in which his heart had been stopping momentarily, causing the blackouts. In this, the Lord had honored a priesthood blessing given to him by President Monson that those who were searching would find the cause of his problem.

"I will always be grateful for the Lord's spiritual and physical healing power which I felt then and still feel," he said.

"It is God who has put in place the power which brings healing to His children," President Eyring said.

"In any health care system, physical or spiritual, the most important thing that can be done is to invite the healing power of the Lord," he declared. "That healing power comes because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and always involves the power of the Holy Ghost.

"That has powerful implications for those of us who are care providers. It affects how we treat each other and how we treat those we serve. And it affects what we are trying to become." 

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This is just a summary of the article.  Read the entire story at the church news website www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/57165/Sacred-trust-to-heal-physically-spiritually.html  The full text of the talk will be printed in the Collegium 2009 Journal which will be printed in June.

SPRING ANNUAL MEETING REVIEW

The Annual Meeting was a tremendous success.  We want to thank everyone involved in making this another remarkable event.  The conference began with our group attending a humanitarian project arranged by Susan Puls.  Almost 100 volunteers went to the Church Humanitarian Center on Thursday morning to prepare various kits for humanitarian distribution.   Mark Orrock brought 30 GlaxoSmithKline employees to offer support.  Afterward we were provided a tour of the center and then many stayed for lunch at the center. 

After lunch many Collegium attendees went to the Salt Lake Temple where we were addressed by the temple president and his wife.  President Sheldon Childs is a General Authority emeritus and recently returned from serving as area president of the Africa East Area in Ghana.  We then attended the 2 p.m. session.  It is a wonderful experience to be able to begin Collegium meetings with a temple session and to seek the Lord’s Spirit.

The evening fireside and banquet was a special opportunity to meet and associate with one of the Lord’s Prophets.  The annual Distinguished Service Award was presented to Dr. Martin Ladwig, a member of Collegium, who as a physician, recently returned from serving as Battalion Chief of medical services in Iraq.  The Humanitarian Award was given to two very deserving people.  Sister Bonnie D. Parkin, former General President of the Relief Society, who was instrumental in implementing the measles project in Africa where an estimated 100,000 lives were saved due to this initiative.  Sister Parkin is the wife of Dr. James Parkin, former president of Collegium.  The second Humanitarian Award was presented to President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency.  President Eyring exhibited his gracious and friendly manner as he addressed the 272 people in attendance.  [The Church News report of Pres. Eyring’s address is part of this newsletter and the full text of his remarks will appear in the next issue of the Journal of Collegium Aesculapium.]  Dinner music was provided by Utah Hospice Specialists through harpist Tristan Adair. 

Friday’s CME session included 8 informative speakers on timely subjects for all health professionals.  [Transcripts of some of the presentations will also be published in the Journal.]  During lunch, where over 140 attended, we held the Collegium Annual Business meeting.  Our thanks and admiration goes to Dr. Glen Morrell who concluded his term as Collegium President.  He served with great distinction.  Dr. Johnnie Cook was installed as the new president and Dr. Ed Heyes was installed as the new president-elect.  Three new members of the Board of Trustees were also installed.  They are: Dr. Dean Bristow, Dr. Matthew Weeks, and Dr. George Snell.

We wish to thank Drs. Jeffrey Smith, Marv Orrock, Glen Morrell, Johnnie Cook, and Susan Puls for their planning and organization of the meeting.  We also wish to thank Spencer Woolley for making many of the arrangements for the food, gifts for the speakers, accommodations for Pres and Sister Eyring and his day to day efforts in behalf of Collegium.

One of the best things about Collegium is the warmth that comes from seeing old friends and in making new ones.  An added bonus is the strength of devotion to the Lord by the members of this unique organization.  It is heartwarming to work with each other as we seek to serve our fellowmen throughout the world.  Again, thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of this meeting in any way.  We are looking forward to our fall conference and to future meetings and opportunities to serve.

See more pictures at www.collegiumaesculapium.org/conferences.htm

Member Survey Results:

Are you receiving the emails/newsletters we are sending?   77% Yes,  15% No, 8 % NA

Do you like receiving the newsletter by email?

85% Yes, 10% No, 5% NA

Would you prefer receiving the newsletter via regular mail?  77% No, 20% Yes, 3% NA

If you attend the Fall Conf. where would you like to attend?

Hawaii  30%                      Nauvoo  25%

Book of Mormon  17%      Kirtland 13%

Palmyra 13%                     Winter Quarters 2%

Do you take advantage of the Medical Letter Benefit?

69% No, 18% Sometimes, 13% Yes

Do you find the Medical Letter Benefit valuable to you and your practice?   56% NA,  23% Yes, 21% No

Have you found the Employee Connection on the website valuable? 67% NA, 28% No, 5% Yes

Would you use the Employee Connection if you had a need?  77% Yes, 23% No

Do you find paying your dues and updating personal info on the website easy?  69% Yes,  23% NA, 8% No

Would you be interested in Jerusalem trip in the spring of ‘10?  41% May, 31% No,  15% June,  13% Other Yr

We are considering adjusting the name of the membership of Collegium Aesculapium to “[suggestion] as part of Collegium Aesculapium Foundation” in order to simplify communication.

Do you like this recommendation?  62% Yes, 38% No

Name Suggestions:  Aesculapium Academy, AMP (Assoc. of Mormon Physicians), Collegium, Collegium Health Association, Deseret Medical Society, Humanitarian Healthcare Associates, Leading Doctors in Service

Do you prefer paying your dues electronically? 

70% Electronic, 30% Regular Mail

Upcoming Meetings

In order to prepare and save money for a Jerusalem trip in the spring of 2010, the 2009 Fall Conference will be held in the Salt Lake area.  More details will follow however; current plans include visits to historic church sites throughout Northern Utah.

Soon, we will be publishing a three year conference plan.  This way, you will be able to schedule your attendance more easily.  Hawaii was the most requested location on our recent survey.  It will be on the list but we want to wait until the temple is reopened.  It is closed for 18 months for refurbishing.  Therefore, a Hawaii conference will likely be in 2011.