July 2024
The Global Coalition on Aging and engAGE with Heart are proud to contribute to Citi’s important new report on our world’s ongoing demographic transition. Learn more on page 64 of the report about how we’re supporting healthier lives for Baltimore’s citizens.
March 1, 2024
engAGE with Heart harnesses the trusted networks of churches to improve healthcare access across Baltimore’s underserved communities. Read here to learn how our collaboration is improving health outcomes in the city’s most at-risk neighborhoods.
Source: Providing care in a health and food desert – Novartis Live. Magazine
March 1, 2024
engAGE with Heart utilizes a community-based model to deliver resources to those who need them most. Our Community Health Ambassadors – trusted members of the local community – power this work. Read here to learn more about how our CHAs are tackling one of Baltimore’s largest health barriers: food deserts.
Source: Providing care in a health and food desert – Novartis Live. Magazine
By Kara Burnett
February 28, 2024
JOPPATOWNE, Md. — “Hypertension is truly a silent killer, you don’t know the storm that is going on in your body,” said Ann Bayah, an advocate for heart health.
For years, the Hartford County resident, has tried to escape a health scare that has plagued her family for generations.
“This is my dad, he had a love affair with salt. In the end, that’s what took him away from here. My mom also had hypertension, she died early. She was 57,” said Bayah.
According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, black women are 50% more likely to have high blood pressure compared to white women.
“When I was growing up, every adult I knew suffered with hypertension. I did know that once you’re diagnosed with hypertension you’ll be on medication for the rest of your life. I didn’t want that,” said Bayah.
In 2014, she had an open chest procedure to repair a tear in her Aorta.
“I could not take another step. I would have died right there on that sidewalk. I was in that much pain. One of the nurses told me, before I was discharged from the hospital, that you must have had a really good surgeon because a lot of people that go through the same procedure do not make it out alive,” said Bayah.
“Heart health disparities has existed for a long time,” said Reverend Dr. Terris King.
Reverend King with Liberty Grace Church, has decades of experience as a former senior executive at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“Too often when African Americans of any income come in, grocery stores move out. So we don’t have access to healthy food, sometimes we don’t have access to primary care doctors, sometimes we don’t have access to education,” said King.
He helps lead the engAGE with Heart program which works to reduce health inequities in Baltimore through education and cardiovascular screenings. The program is supported by Novartis and the Global Coalition on Aging.
“We’re all working together to lower costs, increase trust, but most importantly save lives,” said King.
Local partners in the Baltimore engAGE With Heart program include Liberty Grace Church of God in Ashburton, The Lord’s Church in Park Heights, Sweet Hope Free Will Baptist Church in Dolfield, and Mount Pleasant Development Corporation in Cedonia. There are also two senior centers run by the Baltimore City Health Department, Sandtown Winchester Senior Center in Sandtown-Winchester and Zeta Center for Healthy and Active Aging in Central Park Heights.
Medical professionals are brought into these spaces to check cholesterol levels, blood pressure and provide preventative care.
“There are those that would try to get you to believe that it is solely genetic, but here in this church we say the devil is a liar. If you give these communities the resources and support they need, we can combat and eliminate the inequities,” said King.
He advocates for his community and the loved ones he’s lost.
“I see in the eyes of every person we care for, my mother. That’s my driving force, to do for her what was not done. She did not receive equitable caring health care. That is the legacy of my mom and what this church stands for,” said King.
Source: wmar2news
December 7, 2023
At last year’s UN Interventions meeting, Rev. Dr. Terris King highlighted the positive impact of engAGE with Heart in Baltimore. Watch here to learn how engAGE with Heart is supporting healthier communities.
Source: UN Interventions | Terris King | 2023 Silver Economy Forum
By Marnita Coleman, Special to The Afro
November 18, 2023
On Oct. 29, Baltimore leaders and the Global Coalition on Aging along, with Rev. Dr. Terris Andre King Sr., host pastor of Liberty Grace Church of God in Ashburton, officially launched “engAGE With Heart.” The health initiative is designed to combat heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in Baltimore City.
The focal point of the Novartis-sponsored program is reducing health disparities through community involvement in “health education, healthy eating and preventive cardiovascular screenings.”
The event began with a robust worship service, followed by remarks from Mayor Brandon M. Scott; Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.); Bishop Clifford M. Johnson Jr., pastor of Mount Pleasant Church and Ministries in Frankford; Michael Hodin, CEO of Global Coalition on Aging; Reshema Kemps-Polanco, executive vice president, chief commercial officer of Novartis and Gov. Wes Moore, who shared words via video message. The event also convened community health ambassadors, faith-based leaders and other governmental officials.
Mayor Scott stated, “the overarching theme of my administration is working to overcome the decades of disinvestment that so many of our communities have experienced.” Scott continued that combating health issues with lack of access to health care and the presence of food deserts are essential to that overarching work.
“We know that it is no secret that cardiovascular disease is a significant challenge in our city. And in fact, over a third of our residents have hypertension. We can end this together and that is why I am filled with hope as we launch this program in Baltimore with a deep commitment to address cardiovascular health from all angles.”
According to reports, “the impact of cardiovascular diseases, like heart attack, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, and high blood pressure tends to increase with age. In Baltimore, it is the number one cause of mortality, responsible for more than 25 percent of all deaths. It’s even worse for the city’s Black residents. The average life expectancy of residents in the predominantly White (79.5 percent) neighborhood of Greater Roland Park is 83 – 20 years longer than the average life expectancy of residents in Black (94.3 percent), Druid Heights.”
Reshema Kemps-Polanco, executive vice president, chief commercial officer of Novartis said the church is crucial to making change.
“If you want to solve a problem, get the church involved,” she said. “Where you live should not determine if you live.”
The partnership of churches include four local ministries throughout Baltimore: Liberty Grace Church of God in Ashburton, Mount Pleasant Development Corporation in Cedonia, The Lord’s Church in Park Heights, and Sweet Hope Free Will Baptist Church in Dolfield. The initiative also includes two senior centers run by the Baltimore City Health Department: Sandtown Winchester Senior Center in Sandtown-Winchester and Zeta Center for Healthy and Active Aging in Central Park Heights.
King gave an indepth look into the process.
“Once a month, the partner churches and community centers host a family and friends day event. They experience a top flight, heart healthy, delicious meal prepared by culinary ministries. They are taught the simplistic way to prepare the meal,” said King. “They also have screenings and exams from nurses within the Johns Hopkins system that come into our houses of worship to screen for heart health and diabetes. We bring a speaker in at each event that talks about various issues. In my community, for example, they have highlighted four issues as their priorities: mental health, cancer, heart health– certainly– and diabetes.”
King spoke on the importance of other local programming that addresses healthy food.
“The Black Food Security Network brings a farmer’s market to the congregants and community. This is a holistic process where the community is informed, can ask questions, talk with culinary chefs and participate in screenings and exams. It’s inclusive of community health ambassadors, people they have relationships with and respect their influences that are there to assist them,” said King. “These ambassadors encourage them to adjust their lifestyles and eating habits to improve their screened numbers. We see ourselves as an intricate part of the healthcare ecosystem.”
If the participants’ numbers are elevated, the nurses send that information to the primary care doctor so that attention is given to the participant. If there’s no insurance or doctor in place, they receive a referral to a clinic that will address their needs.
The Liberty Grace Church of God EngAGE With Heart launch, occupied four levels of the church with heart health education to reinvigorate honored guests and participants’ way of thinking about prevention and self-management.
On level one, heart healthy food education and food stations were prepared by culinary chefs that demonstrated the ease in creating delicious heart-healthy meals.
On level two, cardiovascular and diabetes screenings were conducted by Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and Brancati Center. Attendees underwent screenings for risk factors such as blood pressure, blood sugars, blood lipids, and healthy weight.
On level three, community health ambassadors led small group discussions on the devastating effect of heart disease, whilst Temple X Schools engaged the youth in heart health activities through art.
On level four, the sanctuary balcony was converted into a vaccine clinic by Walgreens, offering COVID, flu, shingles and RSV vaccines.
“This is a program that is really sensitive to our community’s needs, that is driven by institutions of trust, patient-participant centric, and is designed in a way the community wanted it,” said King, in closing. “This is truly a community based initiative!”
Source: The Afro
By Anna Gliadkovskaya, Fierce Healthcare
October 31, 2023
The Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) has teamed up with local leaders to launch a community health initiative in Baltimore focused on addressing cardiovascular disease.
Dubbed engAGE with Heart, the program claims to be the first of its kind and leverages six community partners in east and west Baltimore—four churches and two senior centers. Supported by Novartis, it is focused on reducing health inequities through community-led programming including health education, healthy food and preventive cardiovascular screening.
The program will offer free community-based screenings conducted by Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing students that will evaluate and provide education on cardiovascular health indicators. The program has begun to employ and train community health ambassadors recruited from within their communities to serve as a resource for their neighbors throughout the program.
GCOA is also partnering with the Black Church Food Security Network and Hungry Harvest to offer fresh food, encourage healthy food decisions and feature healthy food demonstrations to promote nutritional resilience within the community.
“The Community Health Ambassador is the centerpiece of our program,” Michael Hodin, CEO of GCOA, said in a press release. “By training and deploying local, trusted advocates, health access can become more tangible for citizens who may not regularly interact with the formal healthcare system and who may also be suffering from or at risk of chronic conditions like cardiovascular diseases.”
CVD a leading killer in Baltimore
Age-friendly cities, a World Health Organization concept, are where infrastructure helps ensure healthy aging. When planning this initiative, GCOA considered the needs of multiple cities before eventually landing on Baltimore.
Cardiovascular disease is the city’s leading killer, accounting for a quarter of all deaths in 2017 (PDF). It disproportionately impacts the city’s Black community, according to the partners. Nationally, Black people have a 30% higher likelihood of dying from heart disease than white people.
The average life expectancy of residents in the predominantly white neighborhood of Greater Roland Park is 84. By stark comparison, that of residents in the majority-Black neighborhood of Druid Heights is 68.
Lifestyle is more greatly associated with cardiovascular disease risk than genetics. To that end, engAGE with Heart aims to help Baltimore residents build sustainable healthy habits.
“We want to make sure that that prospect of living longer, healthier lives is achievable for everyone,” Melissa Mitchell, executive director of GCOA, told Fierce Healthcare.
“If we are not addressing cardiovascular disease from a preventive point of view,” she added, “we thwart our efforts on the topic of healthy aging.”
To track progress, the program will be measuring engagement in church events, purchases of healthy foods, to what degree residents feel empowered to enact change in their lives, knowledge of cardiovascular disease and healthy aging, referrals to the healthcare system and clinical improvements as well.
The program kicked off at Liberty Grace Church of God on Sunday, Oct. 29, with Mayor Brandon Scott, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, and other community leaders present. The event included a church service, a discussion of the program, a meeting with program staff and a shared meal among all those involved and church congregants.
“My administration has made tackling health inequities and overcoming the decades of disinvestment a top priority, and tackling the disproportionate impact of heart disease in our communities is central to that work,” Scott said in a press release. “We know that public health initiatives focused on equity and the specific needs of communities make a real impact, improving and even saving lives. That’s why we’re so proud to be working with initiatives like engAGE with Heart.”
One of the program’s key partners is Terris King, pastor at Liberty Grace Church of God and former senior executive at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services who helped establish the Office of Minority Health.
Among King’s goals is to restore trust in the healthcare system, which he said Black Baltimoreans are rightfully distrustful of.
“Baltimore is the model for what you can do wrong,” King told Fierce Healthcare. “Historically, this is the city that invented redlining.”
This is an opportunity to engage in a community-based, participatory process to bring interventions to people and to have bidirectional conversations with them about their needs.
The program extends beyond cardiovascular disease prevention by offering a variety of vaccinations and preventive screenings, like for diabetes and cholesterol, for free within churches. Test results will be sent automatically to a person’s provider or payer to help them better understand the populations they serve. Community health ambassadors will help connect people to care, regardless of insurance status, and help enroll them in insurance as needed.
“This is not a process that is an island off the shore of the healthcare ecosystem. It is part of that system,” King said.
King hopes that in the long run, this will continue to be supported by the city. Thus far, the response from the community has been resounding. “This is a no-lose. I don’t even have to sell this program,” King said.
Source: Fierce Healthcare
October 29, 2023
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, USA, October 29, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — Today leaders from Baltimore joined with the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) to launch engAGE with Heart, a community health initiative dedicated to sustainable risk reduction, detection, and management of cardiovascular disease, starting with six community partners in East and West Baltimore. The program, supported by Novartis, focuses on sustainability and reducing health inequities through community-led programming including health education, healthy food, and preventive cardiovascular screening.
The program formally launched at Liberty Grace Church of God on October 29. The celebration included Mayor Brandon Scott, Sen. Ben Cardin, and other community leaders. The launch event included a church service, a discussion of the program, a meeting with program staff, and a shared meal among honored guests, program support, and church congregants.
“Informed by our past work during the COVID crisis, engAGE with Heart will allow us to build a lasting community health infrastructure from the inside out, reducing inequities and lowering healthcare costs,” said Rev. Dr. Terris King, Sc.D, Pastor at Liberty Grace Church of God, former Senior Executive at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and advisor to the Moore-Miller Healthcare Transition team. “This program aligns perfectly with Governor Moore’s focus on community health programs. It can play a key role creating access to Maryland’s healthcare system among underserved populations.”
“My administration has made tackling health inequities and overcoming the decades of disinvestment a top priority, and tackling the disproportionate impact of heart disease in our communities is central to that work,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “We know that public health initiatives focused on equity and the specific needs of communities make a real impact, improving and even saving lives. That’s why we’re so proud to be working with initiatives like engAGE with Heart to ensure Baltimoreans of all walks of life have access to community-based public health outreach, so they can keep themselves and their loved ones healthy and informed on how to confront the danger of cardiovascular disease.”
The impact of cardiovascular diseases, like heart attack, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, and high blood pressure, tends to increase with age. In Baltimore, it is the number one cause of mortality, responsible for more than 25 percent of all deaths. It’s even worse for the city’s Black residents. The average life expectancy of residents in the predominantly white (79.5%) neighborhood of Greater Roland Park is 83 – 20 years longer than the average life expectancy of residents in Black (94.3%), Druid Heights.
To counter this extreme disparity, engAGE with Heart offers free community-based screenings conducted by Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing students that will evaluate and provide education on cardiovascular health indicators. The program is supported by an advisory council of local and national healthcare, cardiovascular and public health experts. Additionally, it is partnering with the Black Church Food Security Network and Hungry Harvest to create a pipeline of fresh food, encourage healthy food decisions, and feature relevant healthy food demonstrations to promote nutritional resilience within the community. engAGE with Heart has already begun to employ and train Community Health Ambassadors recruited from within their communities to serve as a resource for their neighbors throughout the program.
“The Community Health Ambassador is the centerpiece of our program,” said Michael Hodin, CEO of GCOA. “By training and deploying local, trusted advocates, health access can become more tangible for citizens who may not regularly interact with the formal healthcare system and who may also be suffering from or at risk of chronic conditions like cardiovascular diseases. Trusted neighbors trained by cardiovascular disease and Healthy Aging experts at the front line of prevention, earlier detection, and more effective adherence to treatments will improve Baltimore citizens’ health while appreciably reducing the need for capacity-strained conventional health systems.”
Local partners in the Baltimore engAGE With Heart program include four churches: Liberty Grace Church of God in Ashburton, The Lord’s Church in Park Heights, Sweet Hope Free Will Baptist Church in Dolfield, and Mount Pleasant Development Corporation in Cedonia; and two senior centers run by the Baltimore City Health Department: Sandtown Winchester Senior Center in Sandtown-Winchester and Zeta Center for Healthy and Active Aging in Central Park Heights.
“Baltimore’s leading cause of mortality isn’t violence, drugs, or COVID; it’s cardiovascular disease,” said Heang Tan, Deputy Commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department. “This serious health issue can be triggered by better known causes such as genetics, an unhealthy diet, tobacco use, alcohol abuse, a sedentary lifestyle, or a combination of these factors. But excessive stress—including the emotional weight of structural and systemic racism—can also cause cardiovascular issues. Initiatives like engAGE with Heart employ a community-based approach to assist older adults in recognizing and managing cardiovascular disease, or better yet, preventing it altogether.”
For more images of the launch event, please go to: https://bit.ly/3SaWVis
For more information about engAGE with Heart program, please go to: https://engagewithhear.wpenginepowered.com/
About engAGE with Heart
engAGE with Heart is a program developed with and for the communities of Baltimore. It brings together families, churches, senior centers, and more, all from Baltimore, to support the community’s collective cardiovascular health and create a community in which cardiovascular disease and its consequences are no longer a burden.
About the Global Coalition on Aging
The Global Coalition on Aging aims to reshape how global leaders approach and prepare for the 21st century’s profound shift in population aging. GCOA uniquely brings together global corporations across industry sectors with common strategic interests in aging populations, a comprehensive and systemic understanding of aging, and an optimistic view of its impact. Through research, public policy analysis, advocacy, and strategic communications, GCOA is advancing innovative solutions and working to ensure global aging is a path for fiscally sustainable economic growth, social value creation and wealth enhancement. For more information, visit: www.globalcoalitiononaging.com
October 15-16, 2023
engAGE with Heart is a program built on the trust of the Baltimore community. Watch here to learn about our unique community-based model, and be sure to join us at this year’s Silver Economy Forum to learn more.
Source: Silver Economy Forum 2023