New pastor-led health initiative established on Peninsula to help ‘narrow the gaps that exist’
NEWPORT NEWS — Janis Roddy Wortham thanks God every day.
With her 71st birthday coming up Wednesday, she is recovering from an almost fatal lung affliction. But now, still occasionally on oxygen, she already wants to help others suffering from health issues while also spending her time as a companion for a woman with dementia.
“God is good through it all,” she said. “So I’m just interested in helping my community.”
The retired telecommunications worker was at her church of 42 years, Gethsemane Baptist Church in Newport News, on Monday with more than 300 others for the formal launch of an initiative to create a healthier Peninsula.
Greater Peninsula CARES Foundation Inc. was set up by pastors and other community leaders to reduce racial health disparities, widen the safety net and break cycles of poverty, according to various speakers at the event. The group’s name stands for Congregational and Residential Empowerment Services, and the pastors’ combined congregations amount to roughly 8,000 people.
Conversations around the founding of the organization started back about two years ago when the leaders and Sentara connected. Now, a $255,000 grant is coming from the Norfolk-based health system.
The funding is part of Sentara’s commitment to reducing racial health inequities, according to Dr. Jordan Asher, executive vice president and chief physician executive of Sentara Healthcare.
“As we know, improving your health is more than just taking care of you when you are sick, it must be a much more holistic approach,” he said.
Bishop Dwight Riddick, pastor of Gethsemane Baptist Church, said the organization’s approach will be tailored to meeting community needs around improving health accessibility and quality, offering wellness initiatives to prevent health problems, and economic empowerment through educational courses for vocational and entrepreneurial training. He said Great Peninsula CARES will slot into the array of other programs and health systems to meet grassroots needs.
“Our goal is not to duplicate or replace the work they’re doing, but rather come along side of it, to seek to narrow the gaps that exist,” Riddick said. “It takes all of us working together hand in hand and the Greater Peninsula CARES Foundation Inc. is committed to bridging gaps, serving as safety for those who have been left behind.”
Federal legislators, like the pastors, spoke about the importance of the relationship between religious leaders and communities that may have skepticism about or difficulty obtaining health care.
“There is no better partnership we can have than the trusted messengers we have in our clergy,” said U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News. “At a time of all this misinformation, we need trusted messengers, along with our health care systems.”
The organization already has two programs in the beginning stages — a review of nursing needs in four churches, which is to expand beyond churches, and hosting grant writing sessions for organizations to receive funds for tailored local health initiatives. At the event, they also put out a call to individuals, community groups and health providers to reach out for future partnerships as Greater Peninsula CARES seeks to grow.
Count Wortham in. She said she believes the organization and its impact will be a game-changer, and the founding is a watershed moment for religious organizations to come together to transform the area.
“This I think is absolutely awesome,” she said. “I do have (health) issues and I have very good insurance, but it touches me to know there’s so many people who don’t, so I think this is a wonderful organization.”
Ian Munro, 757-447-4097, ian.munro@virginiamedia.com
