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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
John Davis, Rev1, Darlene M. Jenkins, DrPH, RD2, Mary Lou Proch, RN EdD2, Moya Alfonso, MSPH3, and Eleanor Ball, MBA4. (1) Bethesda Outreach Ministries, 1963 12th Street, Sarasota, FL 34234, (2) Community Health Education, Sarasota Memorial Hospital, 1700 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34239, (3) College of Education, University of South Florida, 4507 S. Hesperides St., Tampa, FL 33611, (4) Newton Wellness Program, Bethesda Outreach Ministries, 1728 32nd St., Sarasota, FL 34234, (941)917-1024, darlene-jenkins@smh.com
Community involvement and control are essential to the success and long-term sustainability of community based health promotion and prevention interventions. Bethesda Outreach Ministries was identified as a vital community organization to partner with because of their 16-year history of influence in the Newtown faith-based community. Newtown Wellness Program (NWP) partnered with Bethesda Outreach Ministries in order to increase the odds that health promotion and prevention programming would address community members' health and spiritual needs. Bethesda Outreach Ministries provides many services in relation to NWP, including operations management of program activities and engaging the faith community in the overall project. Bethesda interacts with the Christian Fellowship Ministers Association of Sarasota County. Major NWP related responsibilities include; meeting ministers to engage their involvement in NWP activities, promotion of program concepts, speaking engagements throughout the community to promote NWP, spirituality and health curriculum development and instruction on the spiritual aspects of health. Bethesda Outreach Ministries also serves as a resource center for community members who need transportation to program events. Because of their influence in the community, Bethesda Outreach Ministries serves as the main avenue through which the NWP activities and services are marketed to Newtown community members to encourage program participation. Other essential roles have included formative research conduction, results of which guided program activities and outcome evaluation data collection. Overall, Bethesda Outreach Ministries has been vital to the successful introduction of NWP into the Newtown community.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Faith Community, Health Promotion
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.