This August marks one year since I first reached out to the Partners in Health & Wholeness team as a potential host site for my Senior Practicum in Peace & Conflict Studies at UNC Greensboro. The ministry and values of PHW put them at the top of my peace internship wish list. 

It might seem odd at first to think of community-focused, faith-based health ministry as peace work, especially given common conceptions of high-level international diplomacy and crisis negotiation as being the true and ultimate work of peace. In fact, the work of peace can be found at the intersections of the everyday conflict between our commitment to embrace and embody the belief that “All people are God’s beloved children, made in God’s image, and deserving not only of personal well-being, but of dignity and equality” and a society and culture that does not reflect this belief in policy and practice. 

The reality of this conflict of values touches our communities and affects our friends, family and colleagues–from racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in access to clean air and water and safe and healthy foods, to inequitable access to physical and mental health care, to the overdose crisis and the disproportionate racial impact of the “War on Drugs,” to the ways in which systemic inequities affect aging outcomes across the lifecourse. As Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”

PHW’s ongoing commitment to educate and advocate alongside North Carolina’s faith communities to address such injustice and its effects led me to their door during International Peace Month one year ago. One year on, and in a new role with PHW post-internship, I am ever more convinced that the work of health-related justice is the work of peace. This work is far from done, but we are not without hope. As we observe International Peace Month, we are grateful for your partnership in the work of “seeking peace and pursuing it” (Psalm 34:14, paraphrased). Through our collaborative efforts and our shared commitment to advocate for health justice in our communities and across North Carolina, we can truly make a difference.

For more about the connection between health ministry and peace work and how insights from the field of Peace & Conflict Studies can inform our ongoing pursuit of health-related justice in our communities, check out the PHW Sacred Conversation and Resource Guide: “Practical Peace: Transforming Health from the Roots Up.” 

We are counting down the weeks to the Faith and Health Summit on September 15, 2022 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Greensboro. Over the next few weeks updates and highlights about the event will be sent as we share all the things we have planned. As of today we are 6.5 weeks away from the Summit.

As you may have seen, our theme for this year’s summit is Mindful Together and that was a very intentional choice. There have been seismic changes to all of our lives both individually and as communities over the last two years. We wanted to acknowledge the need for the mindful moments that support our minds, bodies and spirits. So, throughout that day, we are encouraging everyone to take moments to rest, breathe and center themselves in multiple designated locations across the campus of Holy Trinity. These locations include The Labyrinth, a Meditation Garden, benches located at different places across the campus where attendees can sit, rest, think and reduce sensory input where needed, a dedicated chapel for moments of quiet and contemplation, a patio area outside the doors of the lower floor. All of these locations will be indicated on the maps in your welcome bags.

Did I say welcome bags? Be on the lookout for the next update in one week on the very exciting contents of the welcome bags. Look forward to seeing YOU. Don’t forget to register!

August 31st is International Overdose Awareness day. It is a day to remember those we have lost to overdose and to raise awareness on evidence-based practices to prevent overdoses like overdose prevention centers and overdose reversal medication such as Naloxone and Narcan. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, an average of nine North Carolinians died each day from a drug overdose in 2020.  Each one of these people was a beloved child of God, and we lament the loss of them in our state.

I would like to share a portion of a prayer from the Rev. Erica Poellot from Invocation from the NYCDOHMH LifeSaver Awards Ceremony, and below the prayer, you will find a list of ways to get involved on International Overdose Awareness Day.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, my God. We gather to celebrate those who have survived, and those who have saved the lives of others. We also gather to remember the lives of our beloved lost. We gather to honor the living and to remember, To remember and hold space for those who are no longer with us…..We love you.  We are witnesses to your life and the knowing that it was worth saving. Your memory will be our light for the way forward, a way that compels us to resurrect again and again your living and our love for you. In all the holy names, Amen.

Ways you can get involved in honor of International Overdose Awareness Day

• You can attend an International Overdose Awareness Day event. You can find a list of events here https://www.overdoseday.com/tag/north-carolina/
• You can host an Overdose Awareness day worship service. Check out the recording of our Sacred Conversation on How to Host and Overdose Awareness Day Service for resources and ideas. 
• Get trained on how to reverse an overdose and carry the overdose reversal medication such as Naloxone and Narcan. Contact your local harm reduction agency or your local department of health and human services. You could even apply for one of our mini-grants and use the money to put on training for your faith community. 
• Get involved in advocacy around ending overdose. Currently, each county is receiving its portion of the global settlement funds, and you can advocate for those funds going towards funding existing evidence-based syringe service programs and distributing overdose-reversing medicine naloxone in communities, as well as ensuring people who use drugs have a seat at the decision-making table of how the funds will be spent, and expanding to the gold standard of medication-assisted treatment methadone and buprenorphine treatments, which help reduce overdose deaths.
• Get involved with updating North Carolina’s Good Samaritan Law. We know that calling 911 will save lives, but North Carolina’s current Good Samaritan law is one of the most limited in the country, and it does not provide adequate protection for the law to be effective. You can sign on to this letter to improve the Good Samaritan Law. 

New grant opportunity! Partners in Health and Wholeness is thrilled to announce a new mental health funding opportunity for BIPOC (Black & Brown, Indigenous, People of Color) faith communities.

Thanks to The Duke Endowment, PHW is able to offer this new grant opportunity of $5,000-10,000 for faith communities of color to apply towards COVID-19 mental health efforts. In mid-2022, we plan to award 50 grants in this funding range throughout the entire state. Later this year, there will be an opportunity to apply for a large grant, up to $50,000, to establish or expand a mental health resource hub in your region. This application period for this grant opportunity will be rolling, with quarterly reviews, from May 2022 until May 2023. Learn more here: PHW BIPOC Mental Health Grant Webpage

½ baguette cut into cubes
2 medium size peaches cut into wedges
2 cups mixed greens
2 roma tomatoes cut into chunks
1 shallot
½ of a large cucumber seeds removed, cut in half and sliced
3 tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Recipe

Put olive oil on bread cubes and bake in a 350°F oven 5-10 minutes or until golden brown
Combine remaining olive oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl and set aside
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, top with toasted bread cubes and balsamic vinaigrette.

Age My Way NC is a collaborative effort between the State of North Carolina and AARP NC to help identify priorities for making our neighborhoods, towns, cities, and rural areas great places for people of all ages.

Age My Way NC is surveying people age 45+ all across the state to identify priorities such as safe and walkable streets; age-friendly housing and transportation options; access to needed services; and opportunities for residents of all ages to participate in community life.

Access the survey here: https://survey.cmix.com/69C2ABE3/G10DF6LT/en-USact.alz.org/ncmonthlyprograms

Alzheimer’s Association - Education and Faith Outreach Opportunities

The Alzheimer’s Association provides individual and family services, information and referral, education, support and advocacy across North Carolina. 

Available in-person or online, the Association’s free education programs and support groups feature topics including the signs of Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia, diagnosis, communication, living with dementia and caregiving techniques. A list of monthly programs is available at: act.alz.org/ncmonthlyprograms.

Also available to all North Carolinians is the Association’s 24/7 Helpline (800.272.3900). Through this free service, specialists and master’s-level clinicians offer confidential support and information to people living with dementia, caregivers, families and the public. Contact the Helpline to:

• Speak confidentially with master’s-level care consultants for decision-making support, crisis assistance and education on issues families face every day.
• Learn about the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
  Find out about local resources, programs and services.
• Get general information about legal, financial and care decisions, as well as treatment options.

Become a Volunteer:
Alzheimer's Association Faith Outreach Representatives are community engagers that raise awareness of Association programs, provide basic disease information, and link their local faith communities to Association services. Learn more at tinyurl.com/ALZFaithOutreachRep. 

For information about Alzheimer's disease or the Alzheimer’s Association in North Carolina, visit alz.org/northcarolina or call 800.272.3900.

Red Cross - Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers carry out 90 percent of the humanitarian work of the Red Cross. They help victims of disaster, provide care and comfort to ill and injured service members and veterans, teach others lifesaving skills such as First Aid and CPR, help staff blood drives and much more. Your time and talent can make a real difference in people’s lives. Join our lifesaving team today! 

 The PHW Collaborative Pledge is open as of January 15, and the first PHW Mini-Grant Cycle of 2022 opened as of June 01. The PHW Collaborative Pledge is a commitment to continuing a journey of putting faith into action in your community. Through the Collaborative Pledge, we aim to promote connections and relationships among our faith communities to share wisdom, provide support, and build a community around health and wholeness. Click here to take the Collaborative Pledge.

 The PHW Mini-Grant allows PHW Collaborative faith communities to support projects that promote health and wholeness while engaging the community. Faith Communities are able to request up to $1000 for an individual mini-grant, and up to $5000 for a community mini-grant among a minimum of three faith communities. Faith communities must have submitted a PHW Collaborative Pledge in the last 12 months for their application to be considered. Community mini-grants are limited. For more information please reach out at PHWinfo@ncchurches.org. Please click here to learn more about PHW Mini-Grants and how to apply

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