Photo by Matt Schorr
Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance Executive Director Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD, MSCI and Rep. Harold Love, pastor of Lee Chapel AME Church in Nashville, pictured moments before the Faith and Health Summit begins.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. As part of an effort to recognize and celebrate faith-based institutions that have worked to promote health equity and reduce health disparities, the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance (MVA) partnered with the Nashville Health Disparities Coalition (NHDC) to present the Faith and Health Summit on Saturday, April 8, 2017, at Lee Chapel AME Church in Nashville.
“Health equity is accomplished when everyone can achieve their full potential, and no socially determined disadvantages exist,” MVA Executive Director Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD, MSCI, commented. “We hope to encourage congregations to continue their efforts to reduce health disparities in their communities.”
The summit brought together faith-based organizations from the community to discuss efforts already in place, obstacles that hinder those efforts and possible strategies moving forward. Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge, MD, MPH, Assistant Director for Public Health Practice and Assistant Clinical Director for the Department of Pediatrics at Meharry Medical College (MMC), was a featured speaker at the event, and she discussed the benefits of faith on health.
Photo by Matt Schorr
Rev. Edwin C. Sanders II, of the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church, delivers the opening message.
Rev. Edwin C. Sanders II, of the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church, delivered the opening message, referencing the account of Jesus walking on water. However, he offered a different view of the narrative, urging everyone to “stay in the boat” regarding their ongoing efforts to improve community health.
“The relationship between faith and health has been documented throughout history,” Etheridge said. “Spiritual practices can reduce blood pressure, strengthen the immune system and minimize the effects of mental illness.”
These benefits are realized, she explained, because evidence shows the presence of faith reduces stress and leads to positive health outcomes.
Kimberly Lamar, PhD, MPH, MSEH, Chief Population Health and Quality Officer for Nashville General Hospital, was another guest speaker, and she went over the efforts of the Congregational Health and Education Network (CHEN). The organization exists, she said, to improve health outcomes and achieve health equity.
“You cannot achieve equity in healthcare without achieving an equitable distribution of the social determinants of health,” she noted. “CHEN’s focus is on education – or education attainment – as a primary driver of disparities.”
CHEN’s core participants include churches, Nashville General Hospital, MMC, Fisk University, Tennessee State University and American Baptist College. Its framework is a collaboration of institutions with a wealth of resources and the ability to engage participants in opportunities to create programs, connect participants with a central resource to assist with activating those programs, participate in intra-framework learning collaboratives and promote innovative solutions for social change.
Other speakers included Rep. Rev. Harold M. Love, Jr., pastor of Lee Chapel AME Church and Tennessee General Assembly Representative, who gave opening and closing remarks, as well as Rev. Dr. Robin Kimbrough, Kristy Sinkfield, Gwen Hamer, and Dr. Cynthia Jackson. Sinkfield, First Lady of Payne Chapel AME Church, highlighted “Losing Big,” a competitive program designed to help participants maintain weight loss. Hamer, of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuses, talked about her partnership with St. James Missionary Baptist Church to do mental health, and specifically suicide prevention efforts.
Photo by Matt Schorr
Attendees participate in Tabletop Asset Mapping.
Attendees also worked together in facilitated interactive discussions, called Tabletop Asset Mapping, to go over ongoing efforts by churches and other groups, hurdles that must be overcome and plans of action for the future.
In keeping with the theme of recognizing and celebrating faith-based efforts to improve community health, MVA and NHDC presented five congregational awardees with the Faith-Based Health Equity Awards, which included a $1,000 donation for each church to sustain their efforts. The awardees were (presented in alphabetical order):
- Corinthian Baptist Church
- For health fairs to educate North Nashville on how to prevent spreading illnesses and raise awareness of health
- Mt. Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church
- For gardening and reading support programs in the Antioch community to prevent or manage chronic diseases
- New Life Thru Christ Ministries
- For health, wellness and nutrition workshops and also lectures, aerobics classes and provisions to the underserved
- Second Missionary Baptist Church
- For the Cervical Cancer Awareness Initiative to raises awareness and decrease the risks of cancer
- St. James AME Church
- For their community garden and efforts to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to the South Inglewood and Eastland Park community
As the summit closed, Dr. Wilkins presented Rep. Love, Ms. Audrey Hall, Health Ministry Leader of Lee Chapel AME, with a donation from MVA as a token of thanks for hosting the summit. Rep. Love then closed the proceedings with a call to action.
The NHDC is a collaboration of interdisciplinary academic organizations and professionals whose aim is to reduce or eliminate health disparities in the metropolitan Nashville community. The Faith and Health Collaborative is a subgroup focused on supporting and engaging the faith community. Dr. Jackson, who chairs the NHDC, commented, “I feel the Faith and Health Summit was a huge success. I believe each person in the room was a visionary representing many sectors of our community. The collaborative exercises displayed the strengths in our community and gave people a reason to feel empowered.”
About the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance
Founded in 1999, the Alliance bridges the institutions of Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Its mission is to enrich learning and advance clinical research in three primary areas -- community engagement, interprofessional education and research -- by developing and supporting mutually beneficial partnerships between Meharry Medical College, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the communities they serve. Through community engagement, the Alliance serves a large community of stakeholders including surrounding universities and colleges, community organizations, faith-based outlets and community health centers. Its interprofessional education enhances students' interdisciplinary understanding and improves patient outcomes through integrated care. The research conducted provides access to experienced grant writers and materials supporting the grant application process and facilitates grant-writing workshops.