Faith-based Partnership

The Mission

Faith Partnership is a collaboration between local worship centers and Atlantic General Hospital & Health system to promote health awareness, education and healthy living for our community.

The Partnership

Atlantic General Hospital and seven area churches joined forces in 2010 to offer free health management services to the community to help them adopt healthier lifestyles and change the healthcare paradigm from “healing” to “preventing.” These efforts take place in the partnering churches where parishioners are better able to access the resources. Educational sessions on pursuing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Atlantic General Hospital understands the essential role of faith communities in promoting and sustaining well-being. Faith-based organizations improve the quality of life of their members, neighbors and communities by providing spiritual care, a supportive web of resources and impactful wellness ministries. We know this is true for many of our patients whose faith communities and AGH chaplains are an indispensable part of their care team.

Our faith communities pave the way for a faith-health partnership. Built on respect, this partnership recognizes that both faith communities and high-quality medical treatment play a vital role in restoring health and promoting well-being, and that by working together, we are better able to meet the needs of our communities.

Currently, the Faith Partnership consists of various community healthcare organizations and more than 25 community worship centers that have appointed health ambassadors to attend our monthly meetings. We meet the first Tuesday of each month from 10 - 11 a.m.. The meetings focus on health and wellness topics, and there is a guest speaker with expertise in their health practice or a community resource provider who gives education to the group. The health ambassadors take the information back to their worship center to share with their congregation, and help to improve health literacy and wellness within our community.

Faith-based organizations can bring important expertise and resources to our partnerships and health care organizations. Those that serve particular racial, ethnic and cultural communities can take the role of cultural brokers, helping health care organizations learn about and make connections within these diverse communities.

We share many educational opportunities, health screenings, health fairs, community resources, and other wellness events within our community to help promote wellness and improved health. By doing so, we expand community care coordination that delivers patient/family centered care, and Pastoral Care Services within Atlantic Hospital & Health System.

Partnering with our health ambassadors and The Faith Partnership, we will become instrumental in helping individual members of each worship center coordinate their health care, obtain resources for care, and achieve personal wellness goals. This will be accomplished by increased education, communication and partnerships from the individual and their health care providers.

For More Information
For further information or to become a Health Ambassador, please contact Gail Mansell, Director of Supportive Care Services at Atlantic General Hospital & Health System at 410-641-9725 or gmansell@atlanticgeneral.org.