A unique coalition between the faith-based community and health and social services agencies is improving access to health care and social services for the uninsured and under-insured in Talladega County.
Called Project H.E.A.L. (Health, Education, Access, Link), the program is funded by a federal grant awarded to the Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement (SAFE) Family Services Center. The center, in turn, is working through a coalition of agencies throughout Talladega County that includes public, private and faith-based sectors.
“Our primary goal over time is to see that Talladega County is a healthy community,” said Nancy Dickson, auxiliary services coordinator for SAFE. “Talladega County ranks 126th from the bottom of the more than 3,000 counties in the United States, based on overall health outcomes.”
The coalition, called DOTCOM (Designers of Talladega County Objectives and Management), targets primarily lower-income users with faith-based services. In addition to SAFE Family Services Center, the DOTCOM coalition includes representatives from Westview Baptist Church, Sylacauga; Baptist Citizens Medical Center; Baptist Coosa Valley Medical Center and other health and social service institutions as well as physicians, dentists and other businesses in the county.
Three of DOTCOM’s objectives are to help prepare the county for the growth of the Hispanic community, to develop a centralized system of coordinating social services throughout the county, and to pay for equipment to be used in the dental clinic being built in Talladega.
What makes Project H.E.A.L. unique, according to Dickson, is its fourth and major component, the parish nurse program. This program provides ministerial training to registered nurses and commissions them to treat patients holistically — their minds, bodies and spirits. More than 80 parish nurses have been commissioned in Talladega County.
“By further educating the patient on his disease, visiting the patient regularly and through prayer, parish nurses can make an enormous impact on the quality of life of an individual,” Dickson stated. “Parish nurses are able to offer a variety of services and resources, from enrolling patients in drug programs and helping an uninsured individual find a doctor to helping someone find food and clothing.”
Four of the parish nurses are employed at the Baptist hospitals and at SAFE offices, while the remainder are developing health ministry teams within their own church congregations.
“It has been amazing to experience the commitment from nurses and congregations as they give voluntarily of their time and commitment to this project,” stated Margaret Morton, SAFE executive director. “It is my belief that lives are being changed and health care outcomes are being positively affected.”
Another Project H.E.A.L. component, the installation of a shared computer system in public and private social and health service agencies, is helping to coordinate those services in Talladega County. Participating agencies include First Baptist Church of Sylacauga, Coosa River Baptist Association, Baptist Citizens Medical Center, Baptist Coosa Valley Medical Center and other health social services organizations.
A public Web site, www.projectheal.org, exists to help individuals find resources available within the county and access information about disease management and prevention. Additional features include a Spanish version of the Web site and links to the Mayo Clinic and WebMD.
Through DOTCOM, individuals from all over Talladega County already have participated in Hispanic sensitivity courses.
Seven bilingual people were trained in a pilot program for medical interpretation, and another pilot program is teaching Spanish to workers in specific disciplines such as law enforcement, hospitals and social services.
Additionally, a new program called SAFE Latino is bringing a group of people together to address the needs of the Hispanic community. From this group, programs will become available to Hispanics at SAFE Family Services Center.
Share with others: