Memphis Religious Health Assets
Provider-level Workshop Report
Soulsville/McLemore Avenue/LeMoyne-Owen
April 18th, 2008
PIRHANA Workshop:
Participatory Inquiry into Religious Health
Assets, Networks and Agency
Prepared by:
Stephanie Doan, MPH*
With Collaboration from:
Carolyn Clark†
Patience Jarrett†
Katherine Pritchard†
Tesfa Alexander†
Sarah Kennedy†
Stephen Nelson *‡
Ruthbeth Finerman, PhD†
Teresa Cutts, PhD *
*
†
‡
Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare
University of Memphis, Department of Anthropology
Rice University
This report is available online at: www.memphischamp.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION A
1 1. AREA & LEVEL
1 2. DATE & PLACE OF WORKSHOP
1 3. FACILITATION TEAM
1 4. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
2 5. PREPARATORY WORK
2 6. PARTICIPANTS
3 7. INTRODUCTION TO PIRHANA WORKSHOPS
4 SECTION B
5 1. TIMELINE
5 2. AREAS OF ENGAGEMENT IN HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
8 3. RELIGION/ HEALTH INDEX
10 4. COMMUNITY MAPPING
12 5. SOCIAL CAPITAL AND NETWORKING
14 6. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD PRACTICE
18 6. LOCAL ACTION
20 APPENDICES
21 TABLE 1: DESCRIPTION OF WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS
21 TABLE 2: SOULVILLE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
22 GIS MAP 1: SOULSVILLE RELIGIOUS HEALTH ASSETS—ENTITIES IDENTIFIED BEFORE WORKSHOP
23 GIS MAP 2: SOULSVILLE RELIGIOUS HEALTH ASSETS—ENTITIES IDENTIFIED THROUGH WORKSHOPS
24 GIS MAP 3: SOULSVILLE RELIGIOUS HEALTH ASSETS— COMBINED
25 TABLE 3: RELIGION CONTRIBUTES TO HEALTH—BRAINSTORMING ROUND
26 TABLE 4: RELIGION CONTRIBUTES TO HEALTH—VOTING ROUND
27 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
27 PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
SECTION A
1. AREA & LEVEL
As a component of the Religious Health Assets Mapping project, a half-day workshop was held at the
health provider level—focusing on the people and organizations that provide health and religious
services in the Soulsville/LeMoyne-Owen/McLemore area. The boundaries of the study area were
formed by Crump Blvd/Lamar Avenue to the north, 3rd Street to the west, South Parkway to the south,
and I-240 to the east. Parts of zip codes 38126, 38104 and 38106 are included in this geographic area.
The basic demographics of the study area can be found in Appendix Table 2.
Map of Study Area
2. DATE & PLACE OF WORKSHOP
The workshop took place from 8:15 AM to 1:30 PM on April 18th, 2008 at the Walker House, 1109
Mississippi Blvd, Memphis, TN 38126.
3. FACILITATION TEAM
Lead Facilitator:
Teresa Cutts, PhD
Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare, University of Tennessee College of Medicine
Blanch Thomas
Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare
Facilitation Team:
Tesfa Alexander
Carolyn Clark
Chip Clay, MDiv
Stephanie Doan, MPH
Ruthbeth Finerman, PhD
Patience Jarrett
Sarah Kennedy
Katherine Pritchard
Facilitation Team
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
4. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
The conference room at the Walker House was medium-sized with a natural light coming into the room
from large windows at the back. In the front of the room and to the side there was ample wall space for
all of the group exercises. There was an adjoining room that was used for the food table. Participants
and staff sat around four round tables scattered throughout the room.
Table
Table
Table
Other Exercises
Door
Table
Door
Door
Snacks and Drinks
Timeline Wall
5. PREPARATORY WORK
Room Layout
Preparatory work for this PIRHANA workshop included several different activities including:
background research, field study, data collection, map generation, facilitation team training, workshop
planning, and workshop materials preparation.
Background Research included a review of Religious Health Assets Mapping projects in southern Africa,
various approaches to community mapping, and models for participatory research projects.
Field Study included a series of transect drives through the study area with Blanch Thomas and other
team members familiar with this area, initial identification of key assets and potential key informants.
These transect drives, in combination with the insights from key informants, were used to decide the
preliminary boundaries for this mapping exercise.
Data collection included the acquisition of basic demographic, socioeconomic and psychographic data
in the study area. Study staff compiled lists of known assets and interviewed key community
informants.
Map Generation involved the processing and analysis data on the study area, the incorporation of these
data into a geographic information system, and the generation of geographical and special
representation of area information through a series of GIS map layers.
Facilitation Team Training occurred through team member’s participation in training events, past
workshops held in similar locations, and a familiarity with the PIRHANA methodology and other
participatory models for focused group discussion.
Workshop Planning involved identifying potential participants for the Health Providers workshop,
developing and disseminating a letter of invitation, and following up with potential participants.
Workshop staff held face-to-face meetings, sent emails, and made follow-up telephone calls during the
2 weeks prior to the workshop. Workshop staff also identified the Walker House as an appropriate site
for the workshop and made the arrangements for AV equipment and lunch.
Workshop Materials Preparation included the generation and printing of neighborhood maps, the
printing of materials to be handed out, the packaging of these materials, and the organization of all the
materials needed for the workshop exercises (for example, large pieces of paper, post-it notes, writing
utensils, flip charts, and beans).
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
6. PARTICIPANTS
A total of 14 ‘health providers’ participated in this workshop. The term ‘provider’ is used throughout
this report to broadly include anyone who provides services in the community (including healthcare,
religious, and social services, for example). The workshop participants included 10 females and 4
males, with ages ranging from 25 to 76 years. Many of the participants have been long-time residents of
Memphis—with the average participant spending more than 2/3 of his or her life in Memphis.
Participants represented a range of religious traditions: non-denominational (4), none/no answer (4),
Missionary Baptist (2), CME, AME, Lutheran, COGIC.
A large percentage of the workshop participants identified themselves as executive directors and
program coordinators with different agencies in the community. Only two participants were directly
involved with health provision. A majority were involved in providing other types of social services.
Several participants were associated with local educational facilities LeMoyne Owen College (LOC) and
the COGIC Bible College. Other participants associated themselves with a local congregation, either as a
lay leader, health minister or clergy. The participants were highly educated; all the participants had a
high school diploma with at least one year of college; several participants had PhDs or Master degrees.
On average, participants had more than 17 years of education.
The selection of participants using a ‘snowballing technique’ can often create of small pockets of
similar participants. In this workshop there is a predominance of participants representing social
service agencies. This workshop had a much less skewed age range toward the elderly (compared to the
seeker-level workshop held in this community). However, the results and data generated must be
interpreted with an understanding of the composition of the workshop participants (and those groups
that were not represented).
Participants talking around the table before the start of the workshop
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
7. INTRODUCTION TO PIRHANA WORKSHOPS
The workshop began with a short introduction of the workshop participants and facilitation team.
Participants were asked to share not only their names but also a short description of the organizations
they represent and any other connections to the study area community.
Participatory Inquiry into Religious Health Assets, Networks, and Agency (PIRHANA) is a research tool
developed by a group of researchers in sub-Saharan Africa known collectively as the African Religious
Health Assets Program (ARHAP). Rather than focusing on the problems and deficiencies in
communities, the purpose of the PIRHANA workshop is to identify the things that are good and positive
in the community. The process is different from a traditional focus group or town hall meeting since
the participants actually become ‘researchers’ during the workshop and the results are given back to
the participants and the community to use for planning and future activities.
The basic goals of the PIRHANA project in Memphis are to: 1) understand and assess the impact and
growth of religious health assets in fostering health in all of its dimensions; 2) fuel research that will
promote a greater and more complete understanding of the role of religion and religious institutions in
health promotion and delivery; 3) strengthen leadership and organizational capacity to advance health
and wellness.
A similar workshop was held at the ‘health seeker’ level (with various members of the community) on
April 17th. These workshops are just 2 of many workshops that will be held all over Memphis during the
next 3 years.
Facilitator introduces the background of the workshop
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
SECTION B
1. TIMELINE
a) Data
The focus of the first exercise of the workshop is to identify the development of important community
assets and to place that development into a broader social, political, and religious context. To create a
timeline to examine important events and trends, each participant was asked to fill out at least one
post-it note for each of following categories, accompanied by an approximate date:
•
•
•
One key significant social, political or economic event
The name of the organization they represent or belong to
A key event that deals with religion or health
After each participant had added his/her post-it notes to the blank timeline at the front of the room,
participants were asked to continue to add important events that might be missing. Participants were
given an opportunity to explain their additions to the time-line and were asked to comment on any
trends that they could see in the data. Throughout the conversation, participants continued to add
additional events to the timeline.
Participant adds post-its to the timeline
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
Key Religious or Health Event
1870s - Yellow Fever Epidemic
1910 - African American Medical
School in this neighborhood
1911 - UT Medical School
established
Formation of Organizations
1800s - Avery Chapel AME
1852 - Elmwood Cemetery
1863 - LOC—Julius LeMoyne
donated $20,000 for education of
the black community
Social and Political Events
1910s - Women’s Suffrage
1919 - WWI
1929 - Stock Market Crash
1940’s - Inoculations/wide spread
use of antibiotics
1940s - McLemore Hospital and
Clinic
1950 - LeBonheur Hospital
1940 - Boss Crump Rules
1940-45 - WWII
1950 - Korean War
1960s - Civil Rights movement
1962 - Saint Jude’s Children
Research Hospital
1965 - Medicaid introduced for the
poor
1960s - Health Department Primary
Care Clinics—community health (we
were first health program in the US)
1960s - White Congregations build
educational building during
integration –white flight
1960s - Emergence of major
hospitals
1968 - Newborn Center at MED
started by Dr. Shelton
1960 - Stax Recording Studio
1962 - St Jude’s Children’s Research
Hospital
1960s - White flight leading to
severe segregation
1968 - LeMoyne and Owen College
Merger
1968 - John Gaston Hospital
1968 - Sanitation strike/ hospital
strike
1968- Dr. King tragic assassination
1968-69 - Memphis Health Center
founded
1969 - Metropolitan InterFaith
Association (MIFA)
1971 - All Saints Bible College
1984 - Regional Medical Center,
Burn Center, Elvis Presley Trauma
Center
Late 1980s - AIDS research focus at
SJCRH
1987 - Church Health Center
1970s - North Cross Case and
integration of city schools
1974 - Memphis Literacy council
formed
1970s - Busing
1977 - Elvis Presley Dies
1980-82 - North Hollywood Dump
Site
1987 - Church Health Center
1990 - LOCDC at 802 Walker
1990 - Establishment of health
oriented foundations
1996 - Victims to Victory
2000 - Mid-South Reads formed
2001 - All Saint’s Bible College
reorganized by COGIC
2003 - HMCT Healthy Roundtable
collaborative
2004 - Infant Mortality in Memphis
reported to be comparable to
developing countries
2006 - Memphis Magazine article on
38126 zip code
2007 - Bishop GE Patterson dies
1991 - First African-American Mayor
of Memphis elected—W.W. Herenton
2002 - First African American Shelby
County Mayor elected—AC Wharton
Jr.
2006 - C2P- Youth HIV Coalition
2007 - Urban and Holistic Ministries
2007 - Formation of consortium for
Health education empowerment and
research (CHEER) at UTHSC HCPR
division
2007/8 - Ryan White Title I coalition
for HIV/AIDS-reclassification
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
b) Discussion
The discussion began as people added items to the timeline; the addition of events and organizations
continued throughout the discussion. Participants explained the items that they had placed onto the
timeline and commented on trends that they observed in the data.
Participants spoke about the details of a few particular events. For example, one participant told the
story of the North Hollywood dumpsite movement in the 1980s—when the EPA researched the negative
health effects linked to the toxic dump site and cleaned up the area, eventually closing the case in the
1990s. Other participants spoke about the importance of Memphis being identified as having high
levels of infant mortality in 2004.
Participants spoke about the importance of the 1960s as a critical watershed moment for Memphis. Not
only containing the civil rights movement, segregation, school integration, and the assassination of MLK
Jr., but the 1960s also saw several key events affecting the Memphis Health system, including the strike
of hospital workers (in addition to the more often cited sanitation workers) and the emergence of the
two-tiered health system largely as a result of white flight. Participants also spoke about the
importance of Memphis as a national music center.
Participants and workshop staff noted that many of the cards overlapped between the key
health/religious events and the formation of organizations (for example, the founding of St. Jude and
the Church Health Center). Participants noted that the formation of many of these organizations
worked to change the face of healthcare and social services in Memphis.
Participants listen to timeline discussion
c) Observations
This exercise worked as a good icebreaker for the group; participants were actively engaged in the
process and were energetic as they described events and added new ones to the time line. In general,
outside of the 1960’s and 1970’s, the timeline contained relatively few post-its describing political and
social events. There were noticeable gaps in the timeline in the 1920’s to 1940’s and then again in the
1980’s and 1990’s. This illustrates a ‘selective memory’ in which some time periods stand out more
than others. Many important events were probably left off of the timeline. Some bias might have been
introduced to the exercise when the facilitators cited the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King’s
assassination as an example of a key social and political event. In addition, it should be noted that none
of the workshop participants were active members of the community during the first half of the 20th
century.
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2. AREAS OF ENGAGEMENT IN HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
a) Data
The goal of the second exercise was to create a categorized list of organizations and the services they
provide in respect to health (prevention, treatment, care-giving, support services, other) as well as to
examine the religious or non-religious nature of each organization or entity. Participants were asked to
place the organizations they represent (plus others in the community) into the matrix on the board.
After participants added entities to each category, participants discussed the things they put up and
the trends that emerged out of the data.
Religious
Public
CCHS
St. Andrews AME
V2V
CHC/CHH
MIFA
Street Ministries
JIF
LeBonheur
UHMMAC
CCHS
LeBonheur
V2V
CHC
JIF
CCHS
MIFA
LeBonheur
CHC/CHH
UHMMAC
St. Andrews
AME
UHMMAC
St. Andrews AME
Prevention
SJCRH
LOCCDC
SCHD
CAA
YWCA
HOP6 project
Elmwood
Cemetery
RTCS
Stax Academy
Treatment
Care-Giving
Support Services
Other
SJCRH
Stax Academy
MHC
YWCA
Harbor House
DCS
SJCRH
YWCA
RTSC
Stax Academy
HOP6 project
SJCRH
YMCA
DCS
CAA
UTHSC CHEER
street ministries
CHC/CHH
JIF
MIFA
LOCCDC
(computer lab)
MSRLC (support
for more than
70 service
providers)
Harbor House
University Place
LeBonheur
(volunteer teen
and parent
program,
community
outreach)
CCHS
ASBC (education
and training0
Avery Chapel AME
(research)
TDOT (training)
SJCRH (technical
assistance and
training for
FBOs/CBOs)
University Place
(housing and
other services)
Elmwood Cemetery
(historical)
LOCCDC (business
development,
foreclosure
assistance)
Stax (education)
Key:
ASBC
CAA
CCHS
CHC/CHH
DCS
JIF
LeBonheur
LOCCDC
MIFA
MSRLC
MHC
RTSC
SCHD
SJCRH
TDOT
UHMMAC
UTHSC CHEER
V2V
All Saint’s Bible College
Creative Arts Alliance
Christ Community Health Services
Church Health Center/ Center for Hope and Healing
Department of Children’s Services
Juvenile Infant
Methodist LeBonheur Health System
LeMoyne Owen College Community Development Collaborative
Metropolitan Interfaith Association
Mid-South Reads Literacy Coalition
Memphis Health Center
Ruth Tate Senior Center
Shelby County Health Department
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Tennessee Department of Transportation
Urban and Holistic Ministries for Memphis Annual Conference
University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center Consortium for Health
and Research
Victims to Victory
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
b) Discussion
Participants discussed the breadth and depth of services available in the community. However, they
also pointed out that many of the services in the community are not known by community members.
One participant said, “I see there’s a lot out there, but I don’t think anyone knows about it.” Other
participants added that we should “get the word out” about these services and “develop stronger
partnerships.” Another participant added that it is through partnerships that “new life emerges” and
that things can actually be accomplished.
Participant discusses the matrix
Participants also discussed how religious institutions have provided services in the community. Many
participants suggested that religious organizations have not been effective in providing services. One
participant suggested that religious entities are “missing out”—that there are a lot of services available
but that religious institutions have not done a good job of connecting with those resources. Another
participant suggested that effectiveness is related to how well an organization is “reaching out and
meeting the needs of the people in this community” and that churches have “kept their services within
the walls of the church” instead of reaching out. Another participant said that religious institutions
have not been effective at seeing and understanding the needs of the community. One participant said,
“I think Stax and Lamar are doing more for this community than the churches are. Now, Christ
Presbyterian and St. Andrew’s and a few others go outside the walls, but to me, most of the churches
keep it right within their walls.” This concept was echoed by many of the participants in the room.
Another participant added that working with churches can often be difficult, but that building trust is
important when doing so. Participants suggested that the churches are often the first place that people
go, and are therefore important partners in the provision of healthcare and social services.
c) Observations
The facilitation team was encouraged by the discussion in this exercise as participants brought up the
importance of learning more about the services and resources that are available in the community, the
importance of partnerships, trust, and working with religious organizations to build healthier
communities. These themes which arose without probing in the discussion directly relate to the
foundational premises of this community mapping research project. The fact that these ideas emerged
adds credibility to the purpose and usefulness of this project.
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
3. RELIGION/ HEALTH INDEX
a) Data
For the third exercise, participants were each given two post-it notes and were asked the following
question: “If the Health Department asked you to identify the two most important ways that
religion/faith/spirituality contributes to health/well-being in your community – what would you say?” A
list was created based on the answers provided. Participants were then asked to repeat the activity by
filling out two additional post-it notes to ‘vote’ for the factors that participants deemed the most
important.
These factors were mentioned by participants during the first ‘brainstorming’ round:
(Factors grouped together, for full list, see Appendix Table 3)
Personal choices/Locus of control (3)
Holistic view of health (3)
Information/Knowledge (3)
Existing connections (2)
Encouragement/Stress relief (2)
Support services/Health ministries (2)
Fatalistic point of view (1)
Prayer (1)
The answers in the 2nd ground were grouped into 3 main categories:
(Factors grouped together, for full list, see Appendix Table 4)
Knowledge, communication, choices (8)
Holistic view of health (6)
Connections and social networks (2)
Participant writes out his response on a post-it note
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
b) Discussion
Participants were given the opportunity to clarify their responses. Participants spoke about the ways
that theology and teaching help to define health in a way that is holistic—including aspects that are
physical, spiritual, and mental. Even though our culture has subdivided health, theology can help to
bring those different aspects back together. Participants also spoke about the importance of healing
happening holistically—that it must occur in the mind and spirit as well as the body.
Participants also talked about the importance of being a “good health consumer” and “acting
proactively instead of retroactively.” Participants suggested that churches and other religious
organizations help put people in a place where they can make good decisions and that theology calls us
to be good stewards of our bodies. One participant remarked that choices are especially important
when talking about the growing obesity epidemic. People, especially children, have to make choices
about healthy living—in the case of obesity, it is important to engage the whole family in decision
making. Participants also pointed out that pastors are important since they address issues related to
health when talking with church members or teaching from the pulpit; they are well situated to be good
role models concerning health decision-making.
Facilitation team sorts responses into categories
c) Observations
Participants used concepts and language from several different disciplines to describe the ways that
religion/faith/spirituality contributes to health/well-being—including health behavior, social work,
psychology, and theology. The final grouping into categories was perhaps the least participatory part of
the workshop process. While participants were given a change to explain their cards, the facilitators
were the ones who made decisions about the grouping of the factors mentioned by participants.
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
4. COMMUNITY MAPPING
a) Data
For the third exercise, the participants were divided into two groups. The groups were provided with
pre-printed maps and were asked to verify the entities listed on the maps and to add any other entities
that they thought were missing. One map was of the study area (Group A); the other map was of Shelby
County (Group B). After a few minutes, participants in the group at the Shelby County Map switched to
just listing general locations of organizations and entities based on the boundaries of the study area.
Participants noted new additions to the maps with small post-it notes.
Group
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A listed the following entities:
LeMoyne-Owen College
LeMoyne-Owen College Health Center
Booker T. Washington High School
Turner Park
Walgreen’s and Rite Aid
St. Andrew’s A.M.E. Church
YWCA
Metropolitan Baptist Church
Boy’s and Girl’s Club
Walker House
Police Station
Baptist Book Store
Public Library
Centenary United Methodist Church
Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare
Cummings Elementary School
Christ Missionary Baptist Church
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Memphis Health Center
Trigg Avenue Baptist Church
2nd Congregational Church
Stax Museum
Temple COGIC
Stafford High School
South Side COGIC
South Side Church of God
Circle of Success Learning Academy
All Saints
South Side Church of Christ Daycare
Gaston Community Center
Porter Community Agency
4-way Grill
St. Paul Baptist Church
Alpha Church
Baptist School of Religion
Members of Group 1 point to an entity on the map
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
Group B listed the following entities:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
LeMoyne-Owen College
Health Loops
Booker T. Washington High School
Orleans Park
Walgreen’s
St. Andrew’s A.M.E. Church
YMCA
Metropolitan Baptist Church
Boy’s Club
Walker House
Fire Department
Baptist Book Store
Public Library
Centenary United Methodist Church
Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cummings Elementary School
Christ Missionary Baptist
Mental Health Center
Hope & Healing Center
Union Valley Baptist Church
Pilgrim Rest
University Place Senior Center
Apartments
Cummings Care Home
Family Health
Fine Arts
Church
Jesse H. Turner Park
Dr. Bowen
Members of group 2 discuss their map
b) Observations
The participation in this exercise varied. Several participants were very engaged, quickly writing down
community organizations; others were only tangentially involved and were instead networking with
other participants.
The intent of this exercise was to validate the points that were already on the printed maps and to add
new ones if necessary. While some people talked about this, there was no system to address the
removal, updating, or moving of points on the map. In the case of group 2, the map was at too large of
a scale to attempt this sort of verification.
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5. SOCIAL CAPITAL AND NETWORKING
a) Data (Step 1)
In order to understand more fully the types of relations that exist among community entities,
participants were provided with blank forms on which they could write the names of different
organizations and entities with whom their organizations were connected.
Participant filling out social network form
Summarized data from completed forms:
University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center Consortium for Health and Research (UTHSC HOPR
CHEER) connected to: Methodist Hospital, St. Jude Connect to Protect (C2P), LeMoyne-Owen College
(LOC), PATH Program at LOC
Methodist LeBonheur Hospital connected to: Memphis Athletic Ministries, Christ Community Health
Center, Sister churches within the AME and Baptist Denomination, UT Medical students, Health
Department Immunizations, MIFA, HIV Network, Physicians within Congregations, The Works, COSUA
St. Jude C2P/Infectious Disease connected to: United Way, Christ Community Health Center, Memphis
City Schools, TLC, Memphis/Shelby County Health Department, South Memphis Alliance, Friends for
Life, Health Loop Clinics
Union Valley Church connected to: YMCA Daycare, True Believers Men’s Church Group, MIFA, Stax
afterschool program, Memphis Health Loops, Boys’ Club
Urban and Holistic Ministries for Memphis Annual Conference (UHMMAC) connected to: Methodist
LeBonheur, Centenary UMC, MIFA, LOC,
All Saint’s Bible College connected to: LeMoyne Owen Community Development Corporation (LOCDC),
Bountiful Blessing Ministry, City of Memphis, MIFA, YMCA, Memphis Theological Seminary, LOC,
Memphis Library
Pilgrim’s Rest Baptist Church connected to: Health Loops, BTW Transportation, Stax, YWCA, MIFA,
Methodist, the MED, St. Jude
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
b) Data (Step 2)
In order to better understand the connections between the organizations and entities that were present
at the workshop, as well as those that were most often mentioned during prior exercises, the
participants in the workshop worked together to create a ‘spidergram’ of the networks and
relationships in the community.
Using a list of key community organizations identified during previous exercises, each organization was
placed into a circle on a large piece of paper in the front of the room. Several blank circles were drawn
on to the paper to form a second concentric circle around the identified organizations. Participants
were then invited to come to the front of the room and draw lines to designate relationships between
different organizations. Red lines signified funding relationships and blue lines signified working
relationships that are not primarily financial.
Blank Spidergram
After each participant had the opportunity to add additional lines to the ‘spidergram,’ the moderator
lead a discussion concerning the interrelationships that exist between these community assets and the
extent to which the provision of services has been integrated.
Eleven organizations were placed into the first group of concentric circles. An additional 8organizations
were added to the outer circle by participants. Of the 19 organizations included in the spidergram, 4
could be described as healthcare providers, 9 could be described as social service agencies, and 2 could
be described as education providers. While only one specific religious congregation (St. Andrew’s) was
placed on the spidergram, a participant added the more general “local churches.”
Participants completing the spidergram
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
Local
Churches
Circle
of
Success
BTWHS
Health
Dept.
St.
Andrews
(9)
LOC
(8)
Memphis
Athletic
Ministry
UTHSC
HOPR
CHEER
(3)
STAX
(2)
CDC
(3)
Health
Loops
(4)
Street
Ministry
MIFA
(5)
Memphis
Health
Center (5)
Community
HIV
Network
YWCA
(3)
Methodist
LeBonheur
(4)
St. Jude
(9)
Friends
For
Life
BTW
Transport
-ation
Recreation of Spidergram
c) Discussion
Participants noted that there are strong relationships between community organizations. They
suggested that these relationships are often bidirectional. Other participants said that it is easy to see
how things are connected, but it can often be difficult to access available resources—knowledge about
these organizations is present, but the connections are not that strong in reality.
Participants also spoke about the importance of relationships, especially when the needs of the
community are extensive. One participant suggested that connections provide common ground to keep
programs and services running, especially since “we’re always swamped.” Participants suggested that
relationships with local businesses are also important to include when talking about partnerships and
connections to resources.
Participants had an opportunity to describe the nature of relationships and new organizations that were
mentioned. For example, BTW Transportation (a group that did not emerge in discussion until this
exercise) provides an important health service by transporting people to doctor’s and other health
appointments.
d) Observations
The workshop staff observed a great deal of variability among different organizations placed on the
spidergram (between 1 and 9 connections for each entity listed). St. Jude and LeMoyne-Owen College
(LOC) had the largest number of connections to other entities listed on the spidergram (9 and 8,
respectively). St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, especially through their community outreach, has a
long history of engagement and partnership with Memphis organizations. LOC is not only at the
physical center of the study area but also has a history of community involvement and partnership. St.
Andrew’s also had 9 connections, but it should be noted that 4 of these were to organizations that were
only linked to St. Andrews; additionally, one of the representatives from St. Andrews was also affiliated
with LeBonheur, which explains many of the similarities when comparing St. Andrew’s connections on
the spidergram with LeBonheur’s connections on the individual sheets in data step 1.
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
Discussion of spidergram
The variation in connection may be attributed to the differing cultures and work done by the
organizations described through this exercise. However, the data collected is also highly dependant
upon the personality and ‘insider knowledge’ of the people describing these relationships. The selection
of organizations that were placed onto the spidergram did not directly relate, in all cases, to the
knowledge and expertise of the workshop participants. For example, while Stax was mentioned
throughout previous exercises as playing an important (and even well-connected role in the
community), no one with a detailed understanding of these networks was present at the workshop;
therefore, Stax had a relatively small number of connections in the completed spidergram.
This exercise was not focused on understanding the nature and directionality of these relationships.
The only particular type of relationship distinguished from general working relationships, was
relationships with a financial nature. There were fewer financial relationships than working
relationships, and most red lines (financial) were accompanied by blue lines (working) between the
same organizations. Again, the variation in numbers may be due to a real difference but may also be
due to the fact that knowledge of funding relationships may require a more intimate knowledge of a
particular organization.
The relationships and connections in this exercise were depicted by individuals who generally were
directly involved with one or more of the listed assets. While this provided a perspective and knowledge
that would not be available to an outsider, it also presents the possibility that participants may overemphasize the role of the agency that he or she represents.
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
6. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD PRACTICE
a) Data
In order to identify which religious assets provide an example of an effective contribution to the health
of the community, participants were asked, “In light of the previous discussion, what do you think are
the two most important religious organizations that contribute to health in your community.”
Participants were once again given two post-it notes each. The collected post-it notes were made into a
bar graph. Participants were then given the opportunity to describe the characteristics of these
organizations that make them exemplary.
The group identified the following religious organizations:
Churches (3)
Methodist LeBonheur Hospital (3)
Church Health Center/Center for Hope and Healing (2)
MIFA
LeMoyne-Owen College
St. Andrews
Health Loops
b) Discussion
Participants described the exemplary organizations in the following ways:
Churches: Historically, the church has functioned as a dominant force in educating, stabilizing and
bringing people together. Many of the churches have a strong relationship with Memphis City Schools,
with many of the churches adopting particular schools.
Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare: Methodist has grown over the years. “They’re doing so much for the
community—branching out and doing new things.” While Methodist is doing new cutting edge medical
treatments, they have a multidisciplinary approach to care with strong outreach programs. One
participant called LeBonheur an “incognito hospital.” LeBonheur also has strong relationships with
Memphis churches and schools. There is a strong partnership between St. Jude and LeBonheur.
MIFA: They have assisted people with some of the biggest problems that other organizations do not
help out with—like rent, utilities, food assistance, etc. The Meals on Wheels program does more than
provide the elderly with food—providing its clients with personal, social contact. Rather than asking
people to come to them, MIFA takes its services out to the community.
LeMoyne-Owen College: They understand the importance of education. The students and alumni are
embedded in the community. In addition, LOC is starting an undergraduate public health major in the
fall of 2008—one of only 8 colleges in the country with this type of undergraduate program.
St. Andrew’s: St. Andrew’s has been in the community for a long time, even while other churches have
moved outside of the city, and it’s outreach is “community-driven”—they are committed to building
relationships with other community organizations and providing easier access to community resources.
For example, St. Andrew’s has a relationship with Memphis City Schools, helping to provide
immunizations.
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
Facilitation team member takes notes on characteristics of exemplary organizations
c) Observations
It is interesting that two organizations, which do not describe themselves as ‘religious entities,’ were
placed onto the list of exemplars—LeMoyne Owen College and the Health Loop Clinics. The
organizations identified in this exercise were divided nearly equally between organizations that are
located and primarily serve people within the study area (LOC, St. Andrew’s, Churches) and
organizations that serve the broader Memphis region (Methodist Healthcare and MIFA). It should be
noted that Methodist is located in close proximity to the study area and is the closest hospital to the
community.
In general, participants seemed to comment on their own organizations rather than on other
organizations (MIFA was a notable exception). While strong opinions and pride in one’s own
organization exist, there did not appear to be much “protecting turf” and participants were eager to
concede the contributions of other community organizations.
Several factors should be kept in mind when interpreting this data. First, Methodist LeBonheur
Healthcare System was the primary sponsor of this workshop. In addition, while care was taken to
identify participants in many different sectors and networks within the community, many of the
participants have some sort of connection to Methodist Healthcare, largely due to the fact that
participants were recruited heavily from the existing networks of the workshop study staff. Methodist’s
sponsorship was announced at the beginning and the end of the session. However, there is no explicit
indication that these factors influenced the results of this exercise.
Participant describes exemplary organization
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
6. LOCAL ACTION
As the final exercise of the workshop, participants were asked, “Now that we’ve talked about all the
assets in the community, like organizations, relationships and networks, what do you think would be
the next steps to bring this process forward?” The discussion generated the following suggestions:
•
Organizations in the community could do a better job of connecting to all the churches that
have an active health ministry. This would be a good way to connect the science and
research on health issues to the organizations that can provide services. We need to educate
churches and leaders so they know what to tell the members of their congregations.
Churches are situated to offer check-ups—the research shows that even people with
TennCare do not go to the doctor because they cannot afford it. Other options are health
fairs, parish nurses, and other strategies for making more health information available. We
should help churches develop these ministries.
•
The Congregational Health Network (CHN) at Methodist is attempting to do just that. The
goal is to increase knowledge (because knowledge is power) and to empower leaders and
clergy to encourage the laity to be good healthcare consumers. The idea is to help connect
people and churches to services and resources.
•
The Methodist Navigator introduced herself and told people how to learn more about the
CHN.
Participant describes the Congregational Health Network
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
APPENDICES
TABLE 1: DESCRIPTION OF WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS
Age
Gender
Occupation
Religious Affiliation
Yrs in
Memphis
55
F
CME
31
66
F
Program Coordinator
Certified Victim Assistance
Specialist
Non-denominational
66
35
F
Non-denominational
20
33
46
F
F
None listed
Pilgrim's Rest
33
46
59
F
none
19
29
M
62
.
25
76
63
.
47
F
F
F
M
M
M
F
Community Public health
Educator
Executive Director
SSCC
Executive Director of
Literacy Coalition, MidSouth Reads
PhD student/ Research
assistant UTHSC
Administrative Assistant
Attorney
Program Manager
Pastor, teacher
Consultant
Academic Dean
Registered Nurse
First Missionary Baptist
Church
AME
Lutheran
Non-denominational
None listed
Unaffiliated
COGIC
AME
0
47
40+
3
76
63
50
47
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
Total Population
Gender
Male
Female
Race
White
Black or African American
Other
More than one race
Educational Achievement (25 years and older)
High School Diploma or higher
Bachelor's Degree or higher
Marital Status (15 years and older)
Never Married
Married
Separated, Divorced, Widowed
Employment (16 years and older)
In labor force
Employed
Unemployed
Not in labor force
United
States
Shelby
County
McLemore/Soulsville Demographic Information
Source: US Census 2000
Soulsville/
McLemore*
TABLE 2: SOULSVILLE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
15,185
897,472
281,421,906
46.3%
53.7%
47.8%
52.2%
49.1%
50.9%
3.3%
95.5%
0.4%
0.8%
47.3%
48.6%
3.1%
1.0%
75.1%
12.3%
10.2%
2.4%
50.1%
5.7%
80.8%
25.3%
80.4%
24.4%
43.6%
22.3%
34.1%
31.8%
46.6%
21.6%
27.1%
54.4%
18.5%
48.1%
34.8%
13.3%
51.9%
65.6%
61.1%
4.5%
34.4%
63.9%
60.2%
3.7%
36.1%
Nativity: Born in USA
99.4%
95.5%
87.7%
Median Age
29.3 yrs
32.9 yrs
35.3 yrs
5,254
61.9%
40.2%
14.7%
38.1%
338,366
67.6%
42.8%
20.1%
32.4%
105,480,101
68.1%
51.7%
12.2%
31.9%
40.8%
29.2%
39.0%
19.5%
36.0%
23.4%
$14,468
31.6%
17.2%
$39,593
21.4%
4.5%
$41,994
25.7%
3.4%
45.1%
44.5%
12.9%
19.1%
9.2%
17.4%
10.3%
5.2%
3.4%
2.43
3.12
2.6
3.18
2.59
3.14
6,381
29.1%
53.2%
17.7%
362,954
58.8%
34.4%
6.8%
105,480,101
60.2%
30.8%
9.0%
Households
Families (Family Household)
Married-couple family
Female-householder, no husband present
Non-family Households
Households with individuals <18 years
Households with individuals >65 years
Income
Median Household Income (1999)
Households with Social Security Income
Households with Public Assistance Income
Poverty
Families below poverty line
Non-family households below poverty line
Families with grandparent responsible
grandchildren <18 years
Average Household Size
Average Family Size
Housing Units
Owner-occupied
Renter Occupied
Vacant
for
own
*Compilation of Census Tracts 0046, 0047, 0048, 0049, 0050, 0058, 0059
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
GIS MAP 1: SOULSVILLE RELIGIOUS HEALTH ASSETS—
ENTITIES IDENTIFIED BEFORE WORKSHOP
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
GIS MAP 2: SOULSVILLE RELIGIOUS HEALTH ASSETS—
ENTITIES IDENTIFIED THROUGH WORKSHOPS
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
GIS MAP 3: SOULSVILLE RELIGIOUS HEALTH ASSETS— COMBINED
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
TABLE 3: RELIGION CONTRIBUTES TO HEALTH—BRAINSTORMING ROUND
Participant Responses
Grouping
Powerful influence of personal choices individuals
make in health
Spiritual Health Locus of Control: who is
responsible for the health of individuals
Personal choices/Locus of control
Increase Awareness of need to care for physical
temple as well as spiritual temple
Emphasizes the holistic aspect of health and
wellness
Theology (What is the definition of health? Are the
body and spirit compartmentalized?)
Holistic view of health
Emphasizes the importance of spirituality of
health and well-being
Information Center
Knowledge (of things spiritual--related to God-and things natural--related to the community)
Information/knowledge
Belief in pastor as health concerns are brought
before the congregation
Congregants most likely more connected to
resources than non-church members
Reaches the community because the community is
at church (great percentage)
Congregations receive 'free stress relief' from
worship and prayer
Encouragement (ability to fight on/hope)
Proved health related ministries that are age
appropriate
Support Groups
Could promote a fatalistic point of view
Prayer
Existing connections
Encouragement/Stress relief
Support services/Health ministries
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PIRHANA Provider-level Workshop Report—Soulsville/McLemore/LeMoyne-Owen
TABLE 4: RELIGION CONTRIBUTES TO HEALTH—VOTING ROUND
Participant Responses
Communication/Knowledge
Better Health Choices
Factors Grouped
Encourage members to become wise health
consumers
Counseling (self-discovery and problem solving)
Provide means for members to become proactive
and not reactive toward health and healthcare
issues
Spiritual Health Locus of Control
Could promote fatalistic point of view ( "I'll just
pray about it. . . "/"My health is in God's hands
(only)")
Pastor-vital to bring health concerns to church
Recognizes the mind/body spirit connection
Ability to bring health to the community through
the church
Holistic approach to wellness
In-self Healing
Theology
Communication/Knowledge/Choices
(8)
Holistic nature of health
(6)
Centers of Wellness (churches will partner with
other entities/institutions to offer wholeness)
Linkage between community and health services
Social Networking--personal connections are made
at church outside of sanctioned resources that
benefit those who worship together
Connections and social networks
(2)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We gratefully acknowledge the support of Paula Jacobson and the Methodist
Healthcare Foundation, Cerner Corporation, and CIGNA for their grant funding
and interest and passion for the Memphis community. We wish to thank the
Urban Child Institute, Cindy Martin and the Shared Urban Data System for their
contributions to the GIS portion of this work. Also, we thank Dr. Ruthbeth
Finerman, the University of Memphis Department of Anthropology, and the many
graduate students who worked to help staff the workshops and to compile the
database and GIS maps.
Page 27