Sentara's Faith Leaders Collaborative bridges faith and community health

For many people, questions about health and well-being begin within their faith community and not in a doctor's office. Recognizing that important role of clergy in supporting individuals and their families, Sentara Health has launched a Faith Leaders Collaborative that brings together local faith leaders and healthcare professionals to share information, strengthen relationships, and promote healthier communities.

The quarterly initiative is led by Sentara hospital chaplains and provides faith leaders with practical education about health conditions along with prevention strategies, and available resources. At the same time, it gives Sentara an opportunity to better understand the needs and concerns of the communities it serves.

Building on a deep-rooted community partnership

The Faith Leaders Collaborative is the latest evolution of Sentara's longstanding faith-based health outreach efforts in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area. Shortly after Sentara Princess Anne Hospital opened in 2011, Clergy Grand Rounds were established, bringing together local clergy from diverse faiths several times a year to learn about issues affecting patients and families.

Over 12 years, a wide range of topics were discussed, including organ donation, suicide prevention, dementia, palliative care, hospice care, advanced care planning, and human trafficking.

The program paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and returned this year in a new format.

"Our vision is to deepen the connection between faith leaders, the community, and Sentara," said Stacy Morgan, mission director at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital. "Building trusted partnerships that bring health education, resources, and compassionate support closer to where people live, worship, and gather."

Inside a collaborative gathering focused on heart health

Each meeting focuses on a different topic. The most recent gathering, held in September, brought together about 30 faith leaders from across the Tidewater region for a discussion focused on heart disease.

Tamara Fitchett and Cindy Furman, cardiac nurse navigators, discussed the importance of recognizing risk factors and seeking care, noting that roughly half of U.S. adults have heart disease and don't realize it.

Dr. Deepak Talreja, Sentara's clinical chief of cardiology, provided a presentation and overview of heart valve disease and discussed minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedures.

Douglas Wise and Lindsey Horton of Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital's Pritikin Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation also shared information about the program and resources available to patients as they recover from heart-related conditions and procedures.