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
Cre Mickens
Always energetic and smiling, Cre brings her A-game to community outreach and education. She never misses an opportunity to provide the Baltimore community with the information and resources they need to live healthier lives.
Delores Smith
As a retired educator, Delores has a flair for innovative and imaginative ways to share information. From colorful displays to healthy snack tastings, she ensures the community are entertained as well as informed.
Mark Montgomery
Pastor Mark Montgomery has demonstrated excellent leadership in support of his team. He is passionate about meeting the community’s needs and kickstarted the development of a database of local resources.
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.