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Researchers rank how well religious health assets in their neighborhoods do in terms of enhancing health.

A community is more than the sum of its parts, yet without knowledge of the vital parts that make the community thrive, such as where to get healthcare services and support, people become disconnected. The result is a lack of communication and trust between those with the most need and those who provide healthcare.

Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare is working to remedy that situation by partnering with other leaders in the community to create a global mapping model which can bridge the gaps between residents and providers.

In 2007, Methodist received funding from the Cerner Corporation and Cigna Healthcare to adopt the African Religious Health Assets Program in Memphis, a comprehensive assessment map of both tangible and intangible assets, including religious entities. By mapping and partnering with the religious assets, the hope is to provide a window for greater access to health services.

Reverend Gary Gunderson, D.Min, M.Div, senior vice president for Health and Welfare Ministries for Methodist, was the originator and primary investigator on the religious health assets mapping at Emory University and the University of Capetown.

When Gunderson came on board with Methodist a few years ago, he said, "I realized we didn't know any more about Memphis religious health than in Africa. To understand health in Memphis, you have to be able to understand the religious assets in Memphis. We have that in abundance. It would be foolish not to work with congregations."

The original African project, funded by the World Health Organization (WHO), was designed to help improve the health outlook of those with HIV/AIDS in two African countries, Zambia and Lesotho. Replicating the model locally makes Memphis the first U.S. or European city to apply the model. Through Methodist's Center of Excellence in Faith and Health, the local work focuses on health challenges distinct to Memphis.

The city has about 2,000 congregations. Research into local emergency rooms, mentioned Gunderson, showed that 70 percent of patients said they had visited a house of worship within the past 30 days.

"Health is shaped over our lifespan, primarily by the social connections that shape our choices and behavior," stated Gunderson. "Congregations are like the family of the family."

Religious health asset mapping uses traditional GIS (Global Information Systems) mapping coupled with other interactive mapping approaches to create a comprehensive compilation of health programs, networks, clinics and other resources. These other resources include everything from congregations to walking trails, public gyms and housing developments, to name a few.

"Healthcare is not so much a hospital or doctor issue; it's a social issue," maintained Clarence Davis Jr., MD, with the BlueCross BlueShield Volunteer State Health Plan. He partnered with this initiative to encourage participation in the communities. "This is a huge opportunity because of the role that the religious (sector) plays in the community. It is the spine of the black community."

"Despite what people may believe, there's much more of a community out there" Davis added. "There is a thread, but there are valleys of need."

The people who need care the most and those who provide it, said Davis, rarely get a chance to interact. There are many citizens of Memphis who believe there are no services for them or that no one cares, all while providers of worthwhile services struggle to gain more utilization of their programs.

Teresa Cutts, PhD, program director for the Center of Excellence in Faith and Health said part of the problem is that academics and businesses in Memphis have not been constructive about the ways in which they give back.

"Just writing a check for a health fair (doesn't do it)," she said. "They don't think about building relationships and strategic planning on how they employ those resources."

Program directors hold workshops with the citizens who help researchers determine community assets, such as restaurants, community centers and churches. Since the initiative began, five neighborhoods have been mapped and researchers expect to map two Hispanic neighborhoods by the end of the summer.

Methodist partnered with the University of Memphis Shared Urban Data Set (SUDS) to collect data and create the maps. Ruthbeth Fineman, professor and chair of the department of anthropology oversees the mapping process.

With so many disparities in Memphis, Fineman acknowledged, "this process is geared toward identifying assets and raising awareness across communities to the assets."

She noted how the African communities were much better at defining their community assets and boundaries than Memphians, which she attributes mostly to our commuter culture.

"This will help come up with more valid metrics for what constitutes health and well-being," she said. "The way people look at healthcare and the way a community looks at healthcare may not be the way providers look at it. The priorities are different."

In addition to partnering with the University of Memphis, Methodist partnered with the Memphis Theological Seminary, Church Health Center, Christ Community Health Clinics and others to develop the Congregational Health Network (CHN).

Currently there are about 150 congregations in the CHN and each one has a liaison from the congregation who is trained to navigate and disseminate the asset information within their communities.

Overall the program hopes to connect all the valuable initiatives in Memphis, rather than just add to the pot.

"This is not a new, separate initiative," emphasized Gunderson. "It's a way to tie together lots and lots of initiatives and bring to light the things that are going on (in Memphis).

To learn more about religious health asset mapping, visit: www.memphischamp.org

Tags:

Congregational Health Network, connecting community to healthcare, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, religious asset mapping

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