Dr. David Holmes hasn’t understood the tug of war between science and religion during the pandemic.
“That was a little bit of a frustration of mine during Covid,” Holmes said, “because a lot of church people didn’t want the vaccine, and not just necessarily the Covid vaccine, but maybe other vaccines as well. They mistrust science.
“If you believe in God as creator God, then God created science,” he said, “and God’s not going to create something that’s against him. Religion and science both have one thing in common. They’re both seeking truth.”
Holmes – clinical associate professor and associate program director of Department of Family Medicine at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences – isn’t afraid to ask patients about their spiritual beliefs, and pray with them if they are open to it. He is familiar with medical studies that report those with religious underpinnings tend to live longer than those without them.
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It is no wonder he played a role in the recent opening of the City of Light Health and Ministry Center.
The 2,000-square-foot holistic health center sits on the first floor of an office building at 1100 Main St., less than a quarter mile northwest of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
“If you believe in God as creator God, then God created science.” – Dr. David Holmes
It includes a main gathering space, conference room, global medical mission resource room and the office of the Rev. Debra Minotti, a registered nurse and area director of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations of Western New York.
The nonprofit started in the region seven decades ago and is behind the Buffalo center. “Fusion dinners” at private homes have served as gatherings for the regional affiliate in recent years for members who want to break bread together. Members hope the new space will become a haven for support groups, grief share sessions and other efforts that blend prayer, medical communion and healing that combines mind, body and soul.
Doctors, dentists, health care workers and students in related programs are welcome to gather in the new space. The creators were inspired by those who provide treatment at Jericho Road Community Health Center and the Lighthouse Free Clinic, both founded on principles of Christian charity.
Association members with the nonprofit organization work for a living at sites that include the VA Western New York Health System, Erie County Medical Center, the Kaleida and Catholic health systems, Bry-Lyn Behavioral Health System, and public and private medical and dental practices.
“Faith helps people cope,” he said. “There’s no evidence that people have less cancer if you have faith, but they cope better with the cancer.”
“The new center is a place where you can be share your faith and relax, pray and get encouraged,” said Minotti, a registered nurse who has done missionary work in Ukraine and Russia.
Those with the center look to continue to bolster a free clinic for human trafficking victims supported by UB students and physicians, recovery coaching for those struggling with addictions and their families, and a program that helps those who moved to the region because their spouses and partners landed residencies, fellowships and other positions in the UB Jacobs School.
It also will continue to support international medical and dental mission trips, said Holmes, who also directs the UB Global Medicine Program.
Two anonymous donors have promised to match donations to the center up to $50,000 through next Saturday. Make a secure online contribution during the next week here or mail a check to: CMDA, 1100 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14203. In the memo section, write “CMDA of WNY Health & Ministry Center.”
