A.C.T.S. OF F.A.I.T.H Awards Outstanding Members

 

By Chinta Strausberg

At the annual meeting of the Actions Connected To Spirituality: Forming Alliances In Transforming Health (A.C.T.S. OF F.A.I.T.H.) held Monday at Mercy Hospital, board president Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Triche Atkins presented awards to three new members who are a part of the organization’s movement.

Rev. Jacqueline Triche Atkins, J.D., presented awards to: Rev. Herbert Lassiter, A.C.T.S. OF F.AI.T.H. Board member and Quin R. Golden, president, Primary Care Solutions and former president of Strategic Affiliations at the University of Chicago Medicine for the Urban health Initiative, Dr. Terry Mason, Chief Operating Officer, Cook County Health & Hospitals Systems who also heads the Restart4Health program and Dawnavan Davis, Ph.D., founder of AOF who was not present.

In existence since 2010, Atkins said churches are fast becoming the leaders in the movement to improve the health of African Americans on the South Side of Chicago.

While the proper research is key to disseminating accurate health information including the right medicines, Dr. Atkins said her group also pushes preventative measures given a list of maladies in the black community like diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, stroke, and heart disease.

“If you look at the statistics, we continue to be the highest of all on the list. The disparities continue to exist. It’s not just about getting the right medicine but putting in a preventive piece” Atkins hopes will change eating behaviors that will lead to a decrease on the high risk health list so prevalent in the black community.

Her organization’s long-range goal is to reduce and eliminate the racial health disparities Dr. Atkins says exist on the South Side of Chicago and beyond its borders.

Interviewed at the first annual meeting of the A.C.T.S. OF F.A.I.T.H., Dr. Atkins said the community-based participatory research of 11 churches came up with five health areas that negatively impact African Americans including obesity, heart disease, stroke and blood pressure.

“I’m a child of the 1960’s, and I saw billions of dollars come through Chicago and the foundation was not there. After the end of the 1960’s, you had stricken neighborhoods. Where did the money go? Where was the foundation”?

“We now have a foundation, a strong working group and strong churches,” said Dr. Atkins explaining their next initiative, which will bring technology to all churches that, will be to educate the members and the community. “It will be right there in the church like a video game. Eventually, they may be able to access their own information, but the goal is to make health an intricate part of their thinking. We don’t think about health until we’re sick.” Atkins said her organization’s mission is to reverse that pattern.

“This is a great partnership,” Dr. Mason said of A.C.T.S. OF F.A.I.T.H.’s embracing churches and community groups. Mason has been a talk shows host on WVON for the past 21-years and is co-founder of the Restart4Health program.

“It is something we sorely need. We need to have all of the churches as members of A.C.T.S. OF F.A.I.T.H. because the question becomes what are the facts we have faith in and faith without works is dead and that is what this group does. They actually put the work in to make the faith real. That is why this is so important. It’s real in terms of helping us do better with helping ourselves and our health,” said Mason.

Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com.