A documentary exploring the philosophy and legacy of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s international health and humanitarian outreach is scheduled to air on Public Broadcasting Stations across the United States beginning in September.

“The Adventists 2,” now available on DVD, is a follow-up to independent filmmaker Martin Doblmeier’s 2010 documentary, “The Adventists,” which traced the roots of the Adventist Church’s health message and ministry in North America.

Doblmeier’s latest film makes the case that the early integration of healthcare and theology is unique to the denomination. The Adventist Church was officially established in May of 1863, just two weeks before church co-founder Ellen G. White received a health reform vision that put physical and spiritual wellbeing at the very core of Adventism.

“That’s certainly not to say that Jews or Catholics or Presbyterians don’t have great hospitals or don’t consider the body to be a temple, but I think the notion of how healthcare fits into the whole philosophy of who Adventists are from the very beginning is distinct,” Doblmeier says.

The film also spotlights the Adventist Church’s commitment to long-term, sustainable healthcare through its emphasis on preventive medicine and establishing medical schools in developing countries.

On location in Malawi, Doblmeier highlights the church’s focus on HIV/AIDS education, where Adventists are seeking to integrate health awareness into culture through dramatic presentations. In Peru, the rapid growth of population pushes the limits of healthcare, but the recent launch of the School of Human Medicine at Adventist-run Peruvian Union University in Lima is grooming a new generation of doctors to address the challenge.

“This isn’t just Band-Aid help,” Doblmeier says. “[Adventists are] creating these medical schools in the developing world so that the best minds will stay in those countries, get their training within the Adventist education system, and then stay there. I think this is going to have long-term effects.”

The film also traces the history of a legendary hospital in China, follows a team of American doctors as they perform operations for underserved patients in the Dominican Republic, and features Adventist medical missionary work in the wake of a catastrophic earthquake in Haiti.

That country, perhaps more than any other, underscores the “staggering” need for sustainable healthcare, Doblmeier says. But, he adds, it also illustrates the resolve of Adventist humanitarians.

“It’s an incredible task, but hope has been at the core of the Adventist Church since the very beginning, and it remains one of the flagship reasons that it is present in the world today,” he says. “So in these countries around the world where the healthcare disparities are so enormous, I think [the church’s] presence creates a sense of hope, and that’s a really important thing to do.”

Doblmeier also devotes considerable time to the legacy of medical and mission service left by early Adventists. To illustrate their impact, he and his production team turn to Brazil, where for decades Leo and Jessie Halliwell brought healthcare by boat to isolated communities along the Amazon River. The Luzeiro (“light bearer”) medical boat ministry continues today.

“We heard again and again how people heard the story of the Halliwells and were moved. That says that their life and work had purpose and meaning,” Doblmeier said.

“That’s the power of story. And if we’ve done something to help keep those stories alive, I feel great about that,” he says. A portion of the DVD sales will go toward supporting the work of some of the organizations featured on the film.

“The Adventists 2” is the latest of Doblmeier’s more than 25 award-winning films on religion, faith and spirituality, which include “Bonhoeffer,” a documentary on Nazi resister Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and “Albert Schweitzer: Called to Africa,” a film recounting the Nobel Prize-winning humanitarian’s life.

Doblmeier is president and founder of Journey Films in Alexandria in the U.S. state of Virginia. He is currently wrapping up a documentary that explores the Adventist Church’s commitment to holistic education.

“I’ll go right back to the edit room after this interview,” he says.