“We wanted to create connections with local community nonprofits, social services, the health department, as well as facilitate visits from health care professionals and local first responders,” said Community Health Director Carolyn Young. “It’s opened the door to authentic relationship building along with much-needed community capacity building, while also being a trusted source of good health and wellness information for the people of the church to access on a more personal level.”
Beginning with a relationship with five churches, the program has now expanded to 15 churches and more than 30 nurses and health ministers.
The program has also “seen many successes,” including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training for 150 members of the church community, and 10 participating churches have received and installed an AED.
It also has provided more than 330 home/nursing home visits, 685 SDOH and health screening engagements, 184 Faith Community Nursing and health ministry events or activities, 27 referrals to primary care providers and/or emergency services, and 115 blood pressure checks.
To help continue to grow this program in an effort to bring help to those in need, Mercy Health is kicking off the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment by partnering with local health departments to identify the top health concerns in Clark and Champaign Counties, and has a survey, which is available online, that asks for community input on items ranging from local health resources, barriers to care and gaps in services to trends regarding health and healthy lifestyles.
Helping to meet local needs is “one of the big success stories” coming out of the health system’s 2023 Community Health Annual Report, which highlights their work in addressing health and social needs, and detailing Mercy Health’s approach to advancing health equity and increasing access to care.
For more information about the 2023 Community Health Annual Report, visit www.mercy.com/about-us/mission/giving-back.
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