| | Healthy Mind-Body-Spirit |
| ||
St. Louis Hospitals and Churches Collaborate to Reach Out to Medically Underserved Healthy Mind-Body-Spirit partnered with Abraham's Children, a project of the Interfaith Partnership of Metropolitan St. Louis, to identify three church congregations interested in participating in the program initially:
"This collaboration has enormous potential to reduce health disparities by engaging people where they live and worship with information, education and health resources," says Steven H. Lipstein, president/CEO of BJC HealthCare. "By working collectively as a hospital community, we are hopeful that Healthy Mind-Body-Spirit will have a major impact on improving community health, while expanding the many individual efforts of area hospitals to serve the health needs of their local community." Through focus groups with church members, Healthy Mind-Body-Spirit will customize programs that address the health needs of the congregation and surrounding community. Cote Brilliante, for instance, worked with Healthy Mind-Body-Spirit to develop a health action plan, with activities approved through March 2004. The series includes a cardiac health-focused health fair; panel presentations with physician referral opportunities; and monthly programs on topics such as cancer prevention, diabetes awareness, nutrition, fitness and mental health. Following a successful model established by Abraham's Children, Cote Brilliante church members also will be trained as health advocates to call or visit residents to encourage medical recommendations to be followed. The Cote Brilliante program will be introduced to the community June 29 with a 9:30 a.m. "Spiritual Beginning" service at the church. "This partnership is about providing people with the knowledge, resources and the support necessary to better understand and manage their health, in a comfortable, familiar and trusted setting," says the Rev. William Gillespie, pastor at Cote Brilliante. "With this commitment from the health-care community, we have an opportunity to make it easier for people to take advantage of the resources available to them." Healthy Mind-Body-Spirit evolved from a meeting of hospital CEOs in May 2002 to discuss collaborative approaches to improving community health. The program has been made possible through funding from the Missouri Foundation for Health, the largest health-care foundation in the state and one of the 10 largest in the country. Established in January 2000, the Missouri Foundation for Health encompasses 84 counties and the city of St. Louis. Its mission is to improve the health of the people in the communities it serves. The Foundation will grant awards in excess of $35 million to health-related initiatives in 2003.
 Calendar of Events Find a Physician Wellness Tips Eat Hearty Recipes
|
