Diocese Looks for Partners in Expanding Health Initiative
By Bob Schwarz
W.Va. ranking In a nation plagued by rising rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, West Virginia ranked among the worst in all those categories. Bishop Michael Bransfield wanted to do something to help.
bobschwarz@wvgazette.com
When Alma Cunningham first saw the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling- Charleston’s ad for a director of Health Ministry, she lacked the required theology degree.
At the time, Cunningham was working for Catholic Community Services in Wheeling, playing her part in the state’s Right from the Start program for pregnant women and newborns up to 1 year old.
Director of health ministry was a new position. Cunningham, a registered nurse, got the job.
In a nation plagued by rising rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, West Virginia ranked among the worst in all those categories. Bishop Michael Bransfield wanted to do something to help. Other bishops had written pastoral letters on health care, but Bransfield’s pastoral letter last October on health was apparently a first, Cunningham said.
Cunningham and others held focus groups around the state, some with teens, some with senior citizens, some with the mentally ill. They invited minority groups like Hispanics to attend. “When we talked about health, everybody has a different definition of health. We tried to bring in the mind, body, spirit concept.”
New programs need start-up money, she told the bishop, who offered $400,000, including: $1,000 to all 121 parishes and missions; $1,000 to all 35 Catholic schools; $500 per parish to train a parish nurse; $5,000 for each of the seven regional vicariates.
To get the money, each district or school needed to come up with a viable project.
Every congregation can benefit from a parish nurse, Cunningham said. “The nurses are the hands-on listeners that can heal the people. We must remember that not everyone can be cured, but they can be healed.” The title of the pastoral letter is “A Church That Heals: A Pastoral Letter … on Health and Well-Being in West Virginia.”
Cunningham concedes that $400,000 is not a great amount of money to spread across the state. “We’re hoping they’ll develop partnerships with other groups, other foundations, other churches.”
Parish nurses tend to be older, Cunningham said. “They want to stay close to the community. Nurses want to help other people and they don’t want to retire and do nothing.”
Although principals tell her obesity is not much of a problem in Catholic schools, Cunningham said students still need lessons in healthy living. Some Catholic schools have soft-drink machines that by their presence promote the consumption of sugary beverages.
Catholic schools lack school nurses, but doctors and other health professionals could come in and talk about healthy living and healthy eating, Cunningham said. Counselors could be hired to help students and their families work through mental-health issues.
To contact staff writer Bob Schwarz, use e-mail or call 348- 1249.
(c) 2007 Charleston Gazette, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.