A program developed for and with the communities of Baltimore. We're bringing together families, churches, senior centers and community partners to support heart health.
engAGE with Heart offers community programming in three main areas:
Education
We’re empowering communities with the knowledge they need to take preventative health care into their own hands.
Our Community Health Ambassadors are making a difference in your community
Racquel Harris
With her warm manner and engaging smile, Racquel brings the program with her wherever she goes. Whether it is at her local gym or grocery store, she loves seeing the positive change people are making one step at a time.
Kejuana Walton
An excellent listener and partner in health, Kejuana is quick to identify knowledge gaps. From Lunch and Learns with guest speakers to resource fairs, she excels at providing the community with the information and support they need.
Marilyn Johnson
A true communicator, Marilyn is happiest out in the community talking to people. She loves building relationships, sharing her challenges, and providing a safe space for people to talk through their health concerns.
Our education program features community awareness campaigns with a focus on heart disease prevention and risk factors such as health literacy, access to healthy food and exercise.
To help guide our education program, we have created a curriculum based on best practices outlined by our national heart disease partners combined with community input and population data on the prevalence of heart disease and key risk factors in our communities of focus.
Healthy Food
Our food program includes fresh food markets, cooking demonstrations, and recipes geared toward heart-healthy meals. Through our Community Health Ambassadors and classes, we will cover how to read food labels, meal plan, grocery shop on a budget, and identify key nutrients.
We have brought together local nutritionists, chefs, and church culinary ministries to help us introduce food to the community that is both culturally appropriate and healthy. Our food markets will be provided by the Black Church Food Security Network and Hungry Harvest.
Screening
Our screening program takes a preventive approach by enabling regular health check-ins to keep community members informed of their heart health.
Our Community Health Ambassadors form an integral part of this process, answering community members’ questions, providing resources, facilitating access to care and coordinating any necessary follow-ups with primary care providers.