The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #41208

James B Bender, MHS, CHES, Center for Health Communication, Academy for Educational Development, 1825 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009, 202-884-8737, jbender@aed.org

To meet community-wide health objectives, multi-faceted interventions that engage diverse sectors of the community are often needed. Public health programs have sought religious communities as a partner in health promotion programs. As government entities provide much of the funding for public health work, one challenge facing partnerships between public health and religious organizations is to ensure that publicly funded programs do not favor certain religions. This challenge, and others, has created a barrier between the domains of religion and public health that has limited the amount of collaboration and information exchange between them. To combine resources, some religious organizations have formed ecumenical or inter-faith alliances to develop social and health programs. These alliances have struggled to find a defining mission that each organization can support and have been hampered by rivalries between religious groups --even within faith traditions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism). Religious organizations also may not benefit from research on health promotion. The Academy for Educational Development (AED) has developed a new role for government funded public health programs. Acting as an "honest broker" between and within religious traditions, AED has developed a research-based, inter-faith approach to substance abuse prevention. One product of this effort is a prevention guide for congregations that incorporates religious teachings from the three main monotheistic traditions in the U.S. Results from an expert review and field testing of the product in congregations from the three traditions strongly suggest that it meets a need for religious youth development programs and may affect youth decision making.

Learning Objectives:

• List three challenges facing partnerships between public health and religious organizations.
• Identify two challenges to inter-faith or ecumenical alliances between religious organizations.
• Describe how a government funded entity can act as a facilitator of inter-faith or ecumenical partnerships to achieve a public health goal.

Keywords: Partner Involvement, Religion

Related Web page: www.theantidrug.com/faith

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Academy for Educational Development Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: I am employed by the Academy for Educational Development, and I work under contract for ONDCP on the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.