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, 6th grade

Mother killed at age 6Father lives in East Tennessee3 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, 1st grade

Dad incarcerated5 siblings, older teenage sister

has a baby

Raphael, age 10, 4th 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 babyKicked out of school for

attacking teacher

Courtney, age 5, kindergarten

Mother incarceratedAunt raising 7 children, none are

hers

Jackie, age 12, 4th 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”

P & S Syphilis, Ranking of Nashville and Memphils among 64 Cities with More than 200,000 Population in US, 1989-2001

28

15 16

19 1917

28

15 16

19 1917 17

5

28

15 16

19 1917 17

5

122

5

11

3

5

2

443

2223

455

122

5

11

3

5

2

443

2223

455

122

5

11

3

5

2

443

2223

455

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Nashville

Memphis

Nashville’s Current Syphilis Epidemic Control Efforts

Primary and Secondary Syphilis Cases by Month and Important Interventions

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1/1

995

3/1

995

5/1

995

7/1

995

9/1

995

11/1

995

1/1

996

3/1

996

9/1

998

11/1

998

1/1

999

3/1

999

5/1

999

7/1

999

9/1

999

11/1

999

1/2

000

3/2

000

5/2

000

7/2

000

9/2

000

11/2

000

1/2

001

3/2

001

5/2

001

7/2

001

9/2

001

Month and Year

Nu

mb

er

of

Cases

1996 1998 20001995 1999

2001

1

2

1. First Syphilis Report Released2. STD Forum and STD Free! Formed3. Syphilis "Blitz"4. Surveillance Unit Enhanced5. Jail Screening Begins

6. Bus Stop Media Campaign7. CDC Assessment of STD Program8. Radio Media Campaign9. RECAP Community Survey10. Second Syphilis Report Released

3

4 5 6

7

810

9

WHYPARTNER 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?