Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #108629

Sarah M. Hall, RN, MSN, MPH, Office of Nursing, Georgia Division of Public Health, 2 Peachtree St. NW, 15-294A, Atlanta, GA 30303, 404-463-0129, Hall_1573@msn.com, Michelle C. Kegler, DrPH, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, and Mimi Kiser, RN, MPH, Interfaith Health Program, Emory University, 1256 Briarcliff Rd. NE Bldg A, Suite 107, Atlanta, GA 30306.

Over the past three years, the Institute for Public Health and Faith Collaborations has trained 43 teams of health and religious leaders from communities across the country to address the underlying systemic conditions associated with health disparities. The four-day learning experience covered: the nature of health disparities, self and leadership awareness, the role of tension in leadership relationships, reframing skills, systems thinking and boundary leadership. As part of the evaluation of the Institute, follow-up telephone interviews were conducted with one or two members of each team six to eight months after the Institute (n=62). The interviews were transcribed, coded and analyzed for major themes. In addition to documenting the accomplishments and wide range of programs implemented to address health disparities, the evaluation provided insight into the myriad barriers to achieving full collaboration between faith and health interests, the numerous facilitators to the creation of community collaboratives, and the effect of each on addressing community health disparities. Additionally, the influence of the training on the community health leadership of the participants and the participants' perspectives on the resources needed for successfully decreasing health disparities over the long term were examined.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) will be able to

• Discuss the barriers to and facilitators of faith-health collaborations that were identified in the IPHFC evaluation;
• Articulate the resources necessary for the continuation of faith-health collaborations to address health disparities.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.