A Personal Story: Making Healthcare Accessible in Rochester’s Inner City

Meeting a need that will provide physical and spiritual health is the focus of two Cedarville University alumni residing in Rochester, New York. 

With less than 5% of Rochester, New York’s million residents engaged by a local church and many living below the poverty line, Dr. Brad Van Heukelum and his wife, Melissa, are finding ways to provide many residents with stability. 

Since 2019, Brad and Melissa have been an integral part of the mission of His Branches, a nonprofit community health center located in Rochester’s inner city. His Branches provides physical treatment and spiritual leadership to the residents through healthcare, community service and sharing Christ through both word and deed. They treat and value each person holistically as an image bearer of God. 

The Van Heukelums graduated from Cedarville in 2002. Brad pursued a premedical degree in biology, while Melissa felt called into early childhood education. However, ministry was always at the forefront of their minds. 

“I always wanted to be that classic family doctor,” said Brad. “Our doctor growing up did everything from setting my broken arms to giving my brother his allergy shots, and that level of connectedness to the family and the community was always important. I wanted to be a doctor who could be a stable mainstay of his community but who could also use medicine to point patients to God, the greatest healer.” 

Serving others and using medicine to share the love of God has been important to Brad and Melissa since the beginning of their relationship. Once Brad completed his MD from the University of Cincinnati, he and Melissa prioritized using their careers for service rather than personal gain. Early in their marriage and Brad’s medical career, the Van Heukelums first encountered the city of Rochester as a possible location for Brad to complete his residency. 

“In Rochester, one zip code over could make the difference between one of the wealthiest communities in the nation with abundant health care access and one of the poorest with no opportunities,” said Melissa. “We realized that there are huge needs and huge mission fields right here in a region of our own country that no one was reaching.” 

Shortly after moving to Rochester, Brad and Melissa encountered His Branches and fell in love with its vision. Brad soon became its medical director, and Melissa found a calling to join His Branches as communication and outreach director.  

Together, Brad and Melissa have worked to help His Branches reach and heal the people of Rochester. 

His Branches does more than just see patients in an office, as Brad and other medical professionals also provide free blood pressure checks, health care stalls in community markets, charity fundraisers and free checkups. As community director, Melissa creates and implements communication plans that promote the mission and community outreach of His Branches. In an area marred by poverty and a deep distrust of medical institutions, Melissa’s work counters the cultural view that medical care more about financial profits than serving people. Brad works to ensure that this medical care demonstrates a lasting impact. 

“We’re dealing with patients who face food insecurity, poverty, transportation issues, drug addictions and violence,” said Brad. “To see well-trained Christians come to serve these people is important because we need Christ-centered servants who will show love and compassion to their patients while providing excellent medical care.” 

While the Van Heukelums have been able to make a deep impact through the work of His Branches, they encourage the support of Christian medical ministries wherever Christians are located. The Van Heukelums have helped Cedarville University partner with His Branches as a preceptorship location for their physician assistant program. They encourage Christians to volunteer, donate and pray for the efforts of medical ministries everywhere. 

“Medical ministry is one of the best returns for the dollar,” said Brad. “The ultimate impact is hard to quantify because it’s about healing and caring for the physical needs of our patients, but it’s also about the impact on the spirit. Success is having a Muslim in your community feel comfortable coming into a Christian office and feeling cared for and safe enough to actually ask for prayer and talk about life and death. That is what Christian service through health care looks like.” 

Cedarville University, a Baptist institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by the Wall Street Journal as being among the nation’s top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.