Building Healthy Communities through Medical-Religious Partnerships

Preface

Preface We prepared the original edition of Building Healthy Communities through Medical-Religious Partnerships because experience convinced us that partnerships between health care systems and religious congregations had tremendous potential to meet many of the difficult challenges our country faces as the population continues to age and the number of people with chronic conditions continues to increase. We had witnessed enthusiastic clergy, parish nurses, and congregational volunteers, supported by dedicated medical professionals, offering programs that helped people maintain their health, independence, and dignity. Almost a decade later, we are even more convinced of the valuable role that medical-religious partnerships can play in addressing the health needs of communities throughout our nation. The challenges described in the original volume are even greater now, and the models and resources that can be studied and employed by those interested in developing these partnerships have multiplied. People who share our belief that health care systems, medical professionals , and religious congregations should join forces to minister to the health needs of their community will find in this book not only strong support for their belief but also detailed information and advice on programs that have proven successful in a diverse group of congregations and communities over the past decade. We report on innovative medical-religious partnership programs organized by Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, and Seventh Day Adventist health systems, along with other programs initiated and supported by health systems that have no current or historical ties to a national or local religious organization. We share stories of health programs offered by congregations representing a wide range of faiths and denominations (e.g., African Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Catholic, Christian and xii preface Missionary Alliance, Episcopal, Jewish, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Seventh Day Adventist) and from various parts of the country. The introduction provides an overview of some of the most serious health challenges our country faces and why partnerships between health care systems and religious congregations are able to address these challenges . Clergy and lay leaders interested in seeing how a health program can complement existing ministries and programs will find an outstanding example in chapter 1, where we report on a congregational health program that has been going strong for more than 13 years. This program, coordinated entirely by volunteers, also illustrates how an effective and vibrant congregational health ministry can be run at virtually no expense to the church. Health care professionals and religious leaders who have questions— and perhaps even some doubts—about the amount of interest in congregational health programs among parishioners and the types of program they believe are needed will find answers to many of these questions in the survey results reported in chapter 2. Elsewhere in that chapter we present a brief summary of the basic principles and methods of preventive medicine and illustrate how they can be incorporated into congregational programs . Chapter 3 provides an overview of the strategies that congregations can employ to link people with valuable health information and resources through proactive health education programs. Part II focuses on specific chronic diseases and medical topics. Assisted by a panel of distinguished medical experts from the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, we provide, in a concise format designed specifically for individuals with little or no background in health care, the latest information about the most common diseases and the treatments for them. Each chapter includes suggestions for congregational programs and examples of such programs, and at the end of each chapter we provide information on additional resources. In this section we also present strategies and resources that individuals can use to reduce their risk of illness and injury, effectively manage their medical conditions and health care, and maintain functional independence. Topics covered include lifestyle modifications, medication management, home safety, and advance directives. A chapter on communicating with health care providers includes a section on the concept of a patient advocacy or health partners program. This program trains individuals within a preface xiii congregation to assist members with chronic illnesses who may not have relatives or close friends to help them navigate a complex health care system . Several of the chapters in this section include brief guides that can be reproduced and shared with interested persons. These guides are also available in PDF format on the Web site of the O’Neill Foundation for Community Health (www.oneillcommunityhealth.org) and can be downloaded and copied. Finally, Part III provides up-to-date information on models that can...