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Dr. Kenesia Bryant Moore (right), UAMS Faye W. Boozman College of Public Health Professor, talks with Bishop Fred Harris (left) about Faith Networks on a morning radio show. The Faith Network is a coalition of ministries and nonprofits working to address access to care, healthcare disparities, and healthcare information gaps in Arkansas.
| The Faith and Academic Initiatives to Transform Health in Arkansas (FAITH) Network is a ministry and nonprofit organization striving to address gaps in access to care, health disparities, and health information across the state. We are strengthening cooperation between
The FAITH Network is a platform for the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Arkansas for Medicine (UAMS) Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health. Kenesia Bryant Moore, Ph.D., APRN, a professor in the department, led the 2016 establishment of the network.
“Arkansas is a rural state, so we have health care access issues not only in terms of resources, but knowledge of different health trends,” she said. “We want to work on the process of getting information to everyone.
“So we always engage with the community,” added Bryant Moore. “We can’t afford to guess what their needs are. The FAITH network must know what the community’s needs are.”
The network is not the first partnership between UAMS and Arkansas’ faith-based community.
Previously, UAMS had faculty members who had successfully partnered with faith-based organizations for various programs and studies. Considering that Arkansas is in the Bible Belt region and that ministry leaders have a lot of influence and strong connections, Bryant Moore said he believes that faith is needed to help improve health in the state. recognized that it made sense to create a grant-funded program in partnership with a community based on situation.
“I founded the FAITH Network to give UAMS researchers the opportunity to build a larger coalition of faith leaders,” she said. “We realized that UAMS initially relied on small groups of faith leaders for various projects. I had to offer an opportunity.
“At the same time, the UAMS Northwest Campus began engaging with faith leaders in the Marshallese community,” she added. “In the end, we applied for a grant and received funding to launch the network. [from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)]It develops training for faith leaders to help them understand what research is, what health disparities are, and what role they can play in addressing the situation. “
The program has been well received since its launch.
However, the arrival of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020 has highlighted the immense value of networks. Rumors spread about the dangers of the virus and the network’s efforts to keep the people of Arkansas safe, leading to increased engagement. The ministry’s leaders have seen first-hand what public health is and how it affects everyone.
“In the meantime, we have taken the opportunity to educate people about COVID-19 and the FAITH network,” Bryant Moore said. “We provided training on COVID-19 to faith leaders. We worked with them to develop a COVID-19 toolkit for houses of worship.”
One of the beneficiaries of the network’s COVID-19 awareness campaign is the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Dermott. Ricky Lattimore, pastor of the church and ambassador for the Faith Network, thanked the church for its leadership. He said the network’s guidance has saved many people in southeastern Arkansas from the virus.
“The network has been a great resource during the peak of COVID-19,” he said. “The FAITH Network has been very helpful in getting the right information to the Dermot community.
“We are isolated in the countryside and do not have access to many resources. By partnering with FAITH Network, we have found that we have access to a quality, well-resourced organization.”
Gregory C. Nettles, Camden’s Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church minister, raved about how the network provides preventative health information, health supplies and opportunities to attend health conferences.
“Partnering with the FAITH network opens up endless possibilities for learning, improving the lives of congregations, and accessing research, all for free,” he said. “I appreciate that the health education aspect aims to improve the lives of the people of Arkansas.
“Everyone should have access to the same health opportunities as everyone else.”
Fred Harris, pastor of the Life Abundant Ministries City of Life Church in North Little Rock and host of Rejoice 103.3 FM Little Rock’s Morning Brew, is deeply involved with the state’s faith community. there is Harris said people are watching how the network is helping Arkansas, especially those living in underserved areas.
“This was an important and important relationship for our church,” Harris said. “We are partnering with the FAITH network so we can contribute more and do more for the community.”
Helping people take care of their health will lead to more residents having a positive impact on their communities, Harris added.
“Everyone should have access to resources that can help them live a healthy life,” he said. “Often, it’s not what you know that matters, but who you know. If you know the right people, those connections can get you the help you need.
“When people are healthy, they can produce more and focus more on their spiritual growth. That is why we love the FAITH Network and what it does. I have referred many people to various sources of health information and having our church affiliated with medical professionals is a huge advantage.We need healthy families.”
Bryant Moore also appears weekly on Harris’ radio show. In addition, she produces her FAITH Network e-newsletter, Lunch-N-Learns, and a podcast co-hosted with Harris.
“Podcasts help reach younger demographics,” she said. “This will help make the research, studies and programs offered by UAMS known to a wider audience.”
“People are really connecting with and learning from podcasts,” Harris added. “Also, through the podcast, you can genuinely hear how Dr. Bryant Moore sees the FAITH Network not only as part of her work, but as her heartfelt mission. I like it.”
Nettles said he appreciates the FAITH Network for providing health information that can save and change lives. In fact, he’s recruiting leaders from other Southern Arkansas ministries to join the initiative because network members have access to health research, health supplies, and health information.
“Access to health information and participation in health research and education projects provided by the FAITH Network has been beneficial to our church,” Nettles said. “Too often in Southern Arkansas, programs designed for the entire state seem to be ignored. We provide health information that we know through
Nettles said the network is booming right now, and one of the main reasons for that is the information, items and programs it provides and the kindness of Bryant Moore.
“Dr. Bryant Moore’s leadership is great,” he said. “She’s surrounded by people who care about her and help her grow her own vision.”
Lattimore also noted the kindness of Bryant Moore and his team and how that has been factored into the network’s growth.
“When you’re by her side, you really know what she’s doing,” he said. “I admire her compassion and love for helping ministries across the state address the health of the whole human being – mind, body and soul.
“I would strongly suggest that the ministry partner with the FAITH network.
Asked about the network’s impact and growth, Bryant Moore said it’s important to respect Arkansas culture and meet where people are most comfortable.
“People usually look up to ministry leaders,” said Bryant Moore. “When it comes to health care, a person may see a doctor once a year, maybe twice. But in the South most people go to church every week, or at least once a month. We work with ministries across the world, so being able to give people the right information is a win-win situation.”
For more information on the network, please visit https://www.arfaithnetwork.org/.