FAITH COMMUNITY: KEY PARTNERS FOR AND IN PUBLIC HEALTH STEPHANIE BAILEY, MD, MS DECEMBER 2005, APHA

OBJECTIVES  WHY PARTNER  THE POWER OF PARTNERING  ISSUES ENCOUNTERED

… IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ….

Renaldo, age 11, 6 th grade  Mother killed at age 6  Father lives in East Tennessee  3 cousins in household

Amanda, age 8  Mother on disability  Old brother, age 17, in jail  Older sister, age 15, pregnant  All three children have separate dad

Keisha, age 6, 1 st grade  Dad incarcerated  5 siblings, older teenage sister has a baby

Raphael, age 10, 4 th Grade  Mother incarcerated  “waited all day to talk to mentor, wanting only to tell her about seeing his sister being shot the night before”  Expelled at end of school year (someone said something about his mother)

Thomas, kindergarten  Crack baby  Kicked out of school for attacking teacher

Courtney, age 5, kindergarten  Mother incarcerated  Aunt raising 7 children, none are hers

Jackie, age 12, 4 th grade  Family has been put out of MDHA  Was in room when uncle was shot  Has been raped  WHEN SHE GROWS UP…. ……………she wants to be a doctor

 Incarceration  Handicaps  Violence, truancy, suspensions  Mixed families  Failure (academic)  Needing and/or wanting attention  Lack of tools  Adult indifference  Low self-esteem

END POINT  TO ELIMINATE DISPARITIES  TO IMPROVE HEALTH STATUS  TO HAVE HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES  ______________________________  REQUIRES: THIS PARTNERSHIP

THE POWER OF PARTNERING  Bridges to Care: More than 26,000 uninsured persons enrolled and linked to medical homes Filled >83,000 prescriptions = > $1m Assisted > 2000 to enroll in TennCare Referred > 500 to mental health; >200 for A&D services Provided >2000 transports to the doctor

….partnering  All ten Davidson County Hospitals have agreed to provide diagnostic, outpatient and inpatient hospital services free of charge to BTC Plus patients  >300 specialists and primary care physicians have agreed to treat >3500 BTC patients over the next year for $10 per visit

…..partnering  TWO CLINICS, AS MEMBERS OF THE CONSORTIUM, ARE FAITH-BASED  THE SISTERS OF ASCENSION HEALTH SYTEMS THROUGH ST. THOMAS HOSPITAL – started two additional clinics in areas of need  AS TENNCARE DISENROLLED TENNESSEANS……..TYING NASHVILLE TOGETHER (TNT)

…..partnering  CREATING A NEEDLE EXCHANGE/HARM REDUCTION PROGRAM IN NASHVILLE, TN, 1994  BIBLE BELT  CHURCH ON EVERY CORNER  SAVED BY METROPOLITAN INTERDENOMINATIONAL CHURCH

….partnering  DEVELOPING REGIONAL MULTIDISCIPLINE PUBLIC HEALTH TEAMS, 1998  BUDGET CUTS TO DEPARTMENT EACH YEAR BY THE THEN MAYOR  BUDGET SAVED BY COMMUNITY  “MOTHER OF HEALTH”

….partnering  NASHVILLE, 1999, NUMBER ONE IN THE NATION IN RATES OF SYPHILIS  STIGMA IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY  “STDFREE”  FEBRUARY 14, 2000, “LOVE SERMON”

Nashville’s Current Syphilis Epidemic Control Efforts

WHY PARTNER WITH THE RELIGION AND CHURCHES?

WHETHER FOR……  INFANT MORTALITY  SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES  TO DECREASE THE BURDEN OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE/STROKE  DIABETES  A PRAYER

THE THINGS LISTED ON THE CHURCH BROCHURE  WHEN TO CALL YOUR PASTOR: SOMEONE SERIOUSLY ILL PERSONAL PROBLEMS DEPRESSED OR DESPONDENT FAMILY PROBLEMS A BABY IS BORN WORRY OR ANXIETY THINKING OF GETTING MARRIED ETC…

#1 – IT MAKES SENSE, INTUITIVELY, AND ECONOMICALLY! #2 – IT APPEALS TO OUR SENSE OF FAIRNESS! #3 – IT GIVES US A WIDER LENS #4 – IT FUELS OPTIMISM

ISSUES THAT GET IN THE WAY…….  MISTRUST OF THE GOVERNMENT  SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE  FAILURE TO THINK SYSTEMICALLY  THE TOPIC  “THERE WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH MONEY”  POLITICAL POSTURING

…..continue  THE SCIENCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE DOLLARS  FAILURE TO STAY FOCUSED ON THE COMMON GOAL

“He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how.” Nietzsche

IN CONCLUSION  WHAT DO I WANT YOU TO THINK ?  WHAT DO I WANT YOU TO FEEL?  WHAT DO I WANT YOU TO DO?