A spiritual commitment — withdrawal from government funding

Fern Lodge is withdrawing from participation in the Federal Medicare and State Medi-Cal programs. This step will not affect the Christian Science nursing care we give for all patients.  Gratefully most of the patients now at Fern Lodge, as well as those who come to us in the future, will be eligible for financial assistance, if they need it, through the National Fund for Christian Science Nursing. The Fund will reimburse Fern Lodge at a higher rate than either government program, and we are deeply grateful to have this blessing available. Please contact Clovese Hughes, Bookkeeper, or George Strong, Administrator, for further information or to begin the Fund application process.

Christian Scientists understand that God provides for His children. As Mary Baker Eddy put it, “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.” Our spiritual growth involves increasing understanding of the spiritual nature of true care and of the resources our Father-Mother God provides to meet each need. Fern Lodge’s withdrawal from Medicare and Medi-Cal is a step on our path of understanding God’s loving and bountiful provision.

Fern Lodge has been a Medicare and Medi-Cal provider because we wished to offer Christian Science nursing for all who would benefit from this care in a facility setting. While we are grateful for the financial assistance patients have received through government programs, we have been troubled by program requirements that require us to identify Christian Science nursing as a secular activity, describe in some degree the physical conditions of patients, and identify Fern Lodge as a long-term care facility and Medi-Cal recipients as needing long-term care. The ideas of observing and recording the conditions of disease, or of planning for on-going care, are not consistent with our expectation of progress and healing, day-by-day, as a result of Christian Science treatment, which denies the claims of matter as unreal at all times.

We strive to remove every obstacle in thought that may have an adverse effect on each patient’s prayer and expectancy of healing. This is especially apparent to us when we consider Mrs. Eddy’s observation in Science and Health, 146:2-5, “The ancient Christians were healers. Why has this element of Christianity been lost? Because our systems of religion are governed more or less by our systems of medicine.”

Please be assured that the services we give will not change. Throughout our history we have given benevolence, and we will continue as before. We are deeply grateful for payments from patients and their families and from the Fund, and also for donations and bequests given by individual Christian Scientists, gifts from branch churches and Christian Science pupil’s associations, and grants given for the financial assistance we give.

Our Master, Christ Jesus, prayed, “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.  And I knew that thou hearest me always,” (John 11:41, 42).  We pray for the spirit of our Master and the conviction that our Father hears and answers every sincere prayer.  We are indebted to Christ Jesus and to Mary Baker Eddy for their examples, which strengthen our trust in God to meet the needs of everyone at Fern Lodge.

Thank you for working with us in the holy ministry of Christian Science nursing.  If you have any comments or questions, please write or call any time.