Bruce Springsteen in new video seeks to keep Kenyan hospital going for 'generations'

A hospital in Kenya has inspired Bruce Springsteen and he wants to share the news.

The Boss appears in a new video supporting the Lwala Community Hospital Endowment, which would support health care in the rural Western Kenya community of Lwala for “generations” to come, he said. The hospital was founded by brothers Milton and Fred Ochieng, who grew up in the village of Lwala and were able to go to Dartmouth College and Vanderbilt Medical School after villagers held a fundraiser for them.

“The Ochieng family story is an inspiration that has touched my wife Patti and I and has improved hundreds of thousands of people's lives,” said Springsteen in a video recently shared by Lwala Community Alliance. “We met them in 2007 when a friend of ours introduced us on a visit to our home. They were formulating the idea of providing healthcare for their home village in Lwala. The nearest medical facility from Lwala at that time was a two-hour trek away.”

Their father began the health clinic, but he and their mother died of AIDS before both returned from study. The Lwala Community Hospital now serves thousands of patients every year and the Ochiengs have been recognized globally by ABC World News, the United States Peace Corps Director’s Award, the National Medical Association Living Legends Award, the Dartmouth College Martin Luther King Social Justice Award for Emerging Leadership, and the Vanderbilt University Alumni Public Service Award.

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“The Lwala Community Alliance works with women and babies in Western Kenya and is an inspiration along with Lwala's work all across the country,” said Springsteen in the video, filmed “months ago,” said the alliance. “We're excited about the news of the hospital endowment because it means health care for Lwala and its neighboring communities for generations. We hope that you'll join us in being part of a legacy that will outlive us all. Thank you.”

It costs more than $600,000 annually to operate the hospital. The initial endowment goal is $5 million, so it will “create a financial bedrock for Lwala Community Hospital ensuring access to health care for communities now and into the future," according to the alliance.

Visit lwala.org/endowment for more information on the endowment.

Springsteen and the E Street Band's shows in September have been postponed as Springsteen, 73, gets treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease.

“On behalf of Lwala and our communities in Kenya we wish Bruce a speedy recovery!” said Ash Rogers, co-CEO of the Lwala Community Alliance via email.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bruce Springsteen in new video supporting health care in rural Kenya