OUR HISTORY AND MISSION

Our History

In 1975, the Rev. Douglas A. Dunderdale was the senior pastor of Eastminster Presbyterian Church in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh. He began praying that God would bring a Christian healing ministry to become a part of the church. Also in 1975, David Hall, a resident of Mt. Lebanon in Pittsburgh, graduated from MIT and entered Medical School at the University of Rochester. For what did these two men pray? That God would call like-minded people to a ministry of healing in the urban area of Pittsburgh where God’s love would be experienced through healing and care that was fundamentally different from what the world was providing. They prayed that the new Center would be open to anyone, especially the underserved and underinsured. They prayed for a Center where doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals would pray with every patient and address their whole person needs: physical, mental and spiritual. After seven years of prayer, East Liberty Family Health Care Center was founded in 1982 in the basement of Eastminster Presbyterian Church, in the heart of East Liberty.

The Center has been distinctively faith-based since its inception, offering prayer with every visit, but never discriminating on the basis of religion. Every person is made in God’s image, worthy of good care and welcome at the Center. For 40 years, the Center has provided quality “whole-person” healthcare for all people, without regard to ability to pay. It has grown from a three-room office in a church basement to a full-service health care center with three locations. Every activity of ELFHCC is focused on meeting the whole-person health care needs of Pittsburgh’s East End.

Our Mission

The mission of the ELFHCC is: To witness to God’s love, known in Jesus Christ, by empowering our patients through community centered, whole-person quality health care for all, which includes those who are uninsured, underinsured and underserved.