Services at seven predominantly African American churches this Mother's Day will kick off a campaign designed to improve congregants' health.
A local home health care organization will hold outreach events at the Monroe County churches on Sunday to share information about the availability and benefits of at-home health care services
The outreach sessions are part of a campaign led by HCR Home Care in partnership with the Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation, the Greater Rochester Health Foundation, and the churches. The organization has received $703,000 in federal pandemic relief funding through the county to expand its outreach and education efforts around home health care services.
"We realize that in the Black culture, the church is really the heart of the community," said Deanna McEwen, a compliance nurse with HCR. "When you have a child and you want your child to be dedicated, you call your pastor. When you're going to get married, you call your pastor. Even in times of loss, you will call your pastor. And so we thought, what about ... calling your pastor for health as well? How can they help?"
During a news conference Monday at New Bethel CME Church on Scio Street, County Executive Adam Bello said that many Black residents of the county face barriers to health care and that older adults often face deeper disparities. And he noted that across the county, life expectancies can vary by as much as nine years across different ZIP codes.
"This effort is about more than health care," Bello said. "This is really about dignity, equity, and meeting people where they are. Our older adults helped build the foundation of what Monroe County is today. They spend their lives, careers here, and they deserve the opportunity to age in their homes with support, respect, and quality health care."
The money from the county will be used for several aspects of a community outreach and education effort. They include:
- Pastor-focused briefings to help faith leaders educate their congregations about home health care.
- Customized education materials for different church communities.
- Video testimonials where families share their real-life experiences with home health care.
- Training for pastors and church leaders to help their parishioners navigate care options.
- Targeted workforce initiatives meant to strengthen the pipeline of culturally competent home health care workers.
Nate Sheppard is director of HCR's diverse care project, which he said aims to help African American residents over age 65 by improving their access to services, removing barriers to home health care, and reducing health care disparities that disproportionately affect people of color.
"Unfortunately, home care is too often underutilized in the African American community, resulting in poor health outcomes," Sheppard said.
New Bethel is one of the churches participating in the outreach effort. The Rev. Dr. Julius Clay, the church's pastor, said home care services are vital to the Black community and many others. Many people do not want to stay in a nursing home if they can help it, and it would be better for most if they could stay in their homes and receive care there.
"This is the work of God," Clay said.
