wholeness If you have questions about the Congregational Health Assessment Program contact:

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Mitchell Caldwell
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1 wholeness community If you have questions about the Congregational Health Assessment Program contact: Congregational Health Assessment Congregational Health Partnerships Advocate Health Care 205 West Touhy Avenue, Suite 127 Park Ridge, IL (fax.) stewardship Advocate Health Care 500-2/2003 MC

2 Welcome to Advocate Health Care s Congregational Health Assessment (CHA). CHA is more than a health fair, screening or educational event. It provides a way for people to take stock of their health from a wholistic perspective. Participants in the program learn about their own health status and behaviors, but also make the connections between faith and health. Because the assessment takes place in the congregation, participants can explore what health means to them as people of faith and plan as a community to respond to the needs and issues raised by the assessment. Within the context of a supportive congregation, participants are encouraged to take responsibility for their own wellness by: making the connections between health and faith identifying health behavior strengths and weaknesses understanding health-related language keeping their own health records clarifying their values around health and wellness maintaining good health practices This manual leads you through the basic steps in bringing the program to your congregation. It is not meant as a comprehensive manual, but as a guide to the process. CHA staff will be available to assist you at all the steps along the way.

3 Assessment Day Preparation Some questions to consider as you prepare for this event include: Who are you targeting? Just the congregation or also the community? Do you want to partner with another congregation? When is the best time to hold the event? The lab work is done on a fasting basis, so your assessment will need to be in the morning. Most congregations do it on a weekend morning. Some are experimenting with holding it before religious services. Do you want to include children? Lab work may not be appropriate, but wholistic assessment questionnaires are age specific for all ages children, youth, adults and older adults and are free-of-charge. How extensive do you want your program to be? Do you want to plan for additional educational events beyond the follow-up day? Do scholarship moneys need to be considered? Which tests do you want to offer? Are there additional inventories or assessments you d like to include? How many volunteers will you need? Some volunteer tasks might include assisting with pre-registration and with registration on the day of the event, room set-up, hospitality, assistance for seniors or those with special needs.

4 Registration On the assessment day, people come in and move through a set of stations in about minutes. To prevent back-ups, it is generally good to schedule participants in time slots rather than allowing them to come at any time during the program time-period. The sample registration form in this packet will guide you on this. Registration can be done in several different ways: Mail in form from brochure. Call the church office or other registrar. Sign-up tables before and after worship times. You can use the enclosed sample registration form, or you can make your own. When each person registers, they should receive a packet which includes (samples enclosed): An overview of the program, including a reminder of the day and time for both the Assessment and Follow-up days. Instructions for preparing for the blood work A wholistic health behavior questionnaire and answer sheet. (You will need to get these questionnaires from the CHA office prior to registration.) The packet can be given out at the registration table or sent to people through the mail.

5 6. Information table You can have a table with information about various health issues, community services, congregational programs, etc... CHA can help with providing materials. 7. Refreshments Most congregations need no instructions on this one! Try to plan for healthy snacks low-fat muffins, fruit, bagels, juice, etc. Height, weight and blood pressure can be combined in the same station. You can use screens to set aside private space. There should be chairs available for those waiting for their turn at each station. Think about electricity needs when you are setting up the space. Have a few tables set aside for people to sit and talk, eat their refreshments and fill out their questionnaires if they did not already do so. Hospitality Have the space clearly marked, especially if you have people from the community coming to the event. Have volunteers available to greet people, direct them to the registration table and assist with moving through the stations. Have healthy refreshments, juice, coffee and tea available. Because the lab tests are done on a fasting basis, people will not have eaten prior to the event.

Cynthia H Kuo Scholarship

Cynthia H Kuo Scholarship Administered by Silicon Valley Community Foundation Scholarship Amount: up to $5000 Number of Awards: Up to 5 Background: The Cynthia H. Kuo scholarship fund was established in