Places of faith are important, enduring and trusted institutions in our community. The Southern Nevada Health District works with places of faith throughout Southern Nevada to plan and implement programs and policies to support the health of the community. Several of these programs and resources are listed below. If you are a faith leader and interested in working with us to improve the health of your congregation, please contact us at gethealthy@snhd.org.
Along with our partners, Minority Health Consultants, Promotoras Las Vegas, and the Nevada Faith and Health Coalition we are working to bring health education programming, strategies and support to places of faith that serve those in our community who are at greater risk of developing chronic disease.
This initiative has multiple components and is flexible based on the needs of the place of faith. We provide resources to Community Health Workers who work in places of faith and support them as they implement health education programming. We help faith-based food pantries increase their ability to provide healthier foods through the Supporting Wellness At Pantries (SWAP) program. We provide classes and presentations on diabetes and hypertension and educational classes on healthy eating and the importance of physical activity through the Faithful Families program. If you’re a faith leader and would like to know more about this effort, please contact us at gethealthy@snhd.org.
Faithful Families Thriving Communities (Faithful Families) is a direct education and PSE change intervention that builds on the connection between health and faith at multiple levels of the socioecological model – through individuals, interpersonal relationships, organizational policies and practices and environment, and the broader community. Over the course of the program, Faithful Families engages each faith community in direct peer education, policy and environmental supports, and community engagement. Faithful Families can be used with any religious tradition. Trained lay leaders from individual faith communities are paired with nutrition/physical activity educators to co-teach lessons and deliver the program.
Faithful Families has a nine-lesson Eating Smart and Moving More curriculum, which facilitators and lay leaders use while teaching the nutrition, food safety and food resource management lessons.
If you would like to know more or bring Faithful Families to your congregation, contact David Barragan at (702) 759-1276 or barragan@snhd.org.
The environments in which we live and work influence many of the health choices we make. Places of faith can also be powerful sources of support and guidance in making positive, mindful decisions about health and well-being.
We created the Healthy Fellowship Guide to help faith-based organizations such as yours adopt and implement programs and environmental changes that support healthy eating and physical activity.
As a faith community member, you are the expert in knowing your members’ needs, how your congregation works, and how to generate enthusiasm among your followers. We hope this guide gives you the tools you need to empower your members to live healthier every day.
