Church-based clinic eases trauma, stress
Tennessee has some of the mostcomprehensive health care resources in the nation. This is particularly true in Memphis, where our local health assets offer critical services.
Yet, as a state and a region, we continue to have deplorable health outcomes. A 2017 report by the American Health Foundation ranked Tennessee as the 45th healthiest state.
Poor health does not affect our residents equally. Racial and socioeconomic barriers exacerbate these disparities. African-American infants die at a rate (10.6 per 1,000 live births) that is more than twice that for white infants (4.4 deaths per 1,000 live births), the Shelby County Health Department reports.
It is increasingly clear that the key elements of health are not limited to medical services, but include emotional health, substance use disorders, and social determinants of health, including housing, employment, educational opportunity and more.
One approach to improving penetration of health care services is to offer them in venues trusted by the community, but outside traditional care settings. In our city, churches are centers of activity and anchors of community life. They provide a venue to deliver healthenhancing services.
The Healing Center’s Wellness and Stress Clinic, a clinic that opened this week in Oakhaven, is a perfect example.
The Healing Center Baptist Church at 3885 Tchulahoma Road, founded by Bishop William Young and his wife, Pastor Dianne Young, has provided spiritual guidance to this community in South Memphis for decades.
The Youngs and their church have worked to provide inclusive services that address hidden dimensions of health. They have focused on counseling services that relate to trauma and stress, and have hosted conversations around emotional fitness and suicide in the African-American community.
Now, the Youngs, in partnership with several community organizations, are expanding their work to address a wider range of barriers to health. The new Wellness and Stress Clinic will offer free primary care, medication management, resources for housing, employment, stress management, and legal issues.
The partnership includes the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the University of Memphis, Rhodes College, Memphis Area Legal Services, and the West Cancer Center. The clinical model is simple – professionals volunteering alongside students to care for the underserved.
While the clinic faces many challenges, including funding for diagnostic tests, elective procedures, and medicines, it is the first step on a path toward bringing health-related supportive services to communities in need.
We are fortunate to live in a community that is relatively rich in resources that support healthy lives.
By coordinating our efforts, providing a wraparound approach to health care, and engaging patients in an environment that engenders trust, we hope to provide opportunities for all to enjoy a higher quality of life.
Peter Hossler, PhD, assistant professor of Urban and Community Health at Rhodes College, is program director, and David M. Stern, MD, vice chancellor for Health Affairs for Statewide Initiatives at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, is executive director.