title: Promoting Health and Wellness in Congregations Through Lay Health Educators: A Case Study of Two Churches.
abstract: Religious institutions are in regular contact with people who need education about and support with health issues. Creating lay health educators to serve in these communities can promote health initiatives centered on education and accessing resources. This paper is a prospective observational report of the impact of trained lay health community congregation members in two faith communities based on an urban setting. We describe health efforts made in an African-American Methodist church and in a Latino Spanish-speaking Catholic church. We review the intricacies in establishing trust with the community, the training of lay health educators, and the implementation strategies and outcomes of health initiatives for these communities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 4940 Eastern Avenue, Mason F. Lord Building, Suite 339, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA. pgaliat1@jhmi.edu.|Medicine for the Greater Good, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, 4940 Eastern Avenue, Mason F. Lord Building, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA. pgaliat1@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Panagis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Galiatsatos
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Medicine & Gerontology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 4940 Eastern Avenue, Mason F. Lord Building, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA.|Healthy Community Partnership, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: W Daniel
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Hale
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D015142:Baltimore; D040441:Health Educators / Q000193:education*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012067:Religion; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: Community health; Health promotion; Medical–religious partnerships; Patient engagement