December 2004/January 2005 Seeds of Hope: Living the Gospel Campbell County Cares Coalition By Marita Pratt Chairwoman, Appalachian Ministry Resource Team How can we make lasting change in a community? Dr. Tupper Morehead, Campbell County health officer, is seeking the answer to this question. Morehead, a member of St. Francis, Norris, and the diocesan Appalachian Ministry Resource Team, received a grant in September from the Tennessee state Commissioner of Health to begin work on a project called "Life Start, Life Style." This vision to bring about lifestyle changes with the people of Campbell County began with the selection of a group now known as the Campbell County Cares Coalition. The coalition includes June Pyle, director of the Cumberland Mountain Parent Resource Center, Duff; Heather Myers, health educator at the Campbell County Health Dept., Jacksboro; Kevin Shelley, chaplain at Jellico Community Hospital, Jellico; and Bill McNealy, chaplain at St. Mary's Hospital, Lafollette. "Health problems have broken the spirit of this community, and it is time for a healing process to begin," Morehead said. "We want this movement to start by hearing from the people." With these words, Morehead launched a community dialogue on Nov. 15, 2004. Approximately 50 people traveled into the mountains to the Wynn-Habersham school, a midpoint between the communities of Lafollette and Jellico. Participants represented hospitals, churches, schools, student organizations, health agencies, social service organizations, media and other groups. Morehead led an open discussion to identify the major health concerns of residents. Participants agreed on five major health problems: Obesity in the general population and more specifically in youth, which leads to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, low self-esteem and other problems. Drug abuse including abuse of prescription drugs, illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco, which can contribute to a variety of mental and physical health problems and cause other social issues. A high rate of teenage pregnancy, which can cause medical and social problems to continue into future generations. A lack of access to a health-care system, which can cause medical problems to go untreated. A lack of understanding by many about the importance of a healthy lifestyle with a proper diet, adequate exercise and a positive spiritual outlook. "When the community is sick, the church is sick," said Morehead. "It is impossible for a body to heal if the mind and emotions need healing. How can we address this illness … physical, mental, spiritual and emotional?" Participants then discussed ways to work on these health problems. "Sometimes the answers are in our own back yard," said Shelley. "I've heard folks talk about a recreation or community resource center in the town, and how we'd love to build this building for after-school hours and during the summer, but we've got those buildings. There are shells there in the middle of the summer not being utilized, and those are our schools." "It would be very good to have some type of network system … multidisciplinary to include maybe the district attorney, hospitals, pharmacies, police, nursing and home-health nurses and to work on the problems in a multidisciplinary avenue and look at it from different perspectives," said Barbara Rose, a registered nurse for Housecall Home Health. Participants agreed on these approaches: Jurisdictions, churches and schools should allow gymnasiums to be used after school, on weekends and during the summer for recreational programs for the general public and specifically youth. The school system should remove all soft drinks, candy, chips and other junk-food products from the school grounds. The school system should have a yearlong physical education program for each student and health/reproductive educational classes Health agencies, churches and schools should work together to provide annual health screenings, appropriate medial and mental health referrals and lifestyle educational programs in every community. A special task force should be established of representatives from churches, ministerial associations, health agencies, hospitals, community agencies, schools, student organizations, law enforcement agencies, legal firms, the court system, the media, businesses and other groups to address health issues and to start the community healing process. "The good news is that Jesus is trying to tell us that there is another way to live," continued Morehead. "We want to see a movement begin in this county to break down the boundaries that exist … transforming each other by developing a common hope." "There is wonderful outreach and activity in this county and the roots go very deep," he continued. "When you have a forest of trees where the roots go down vertically, the storm comes and those trees will topple. The forest that makes it has trees with roots that intermingle with one another, so when there's a storm or crisis those trees stay up." "Bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference," said Morehead as he closed the meeting, commissioning the participants to envision healing for Campbell County by working together. This meeting was organized by the Appalachian Ministry Resource Team of the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee and sponsored by the Episcopal Appalachian Ministries. Episcopalians in attendance were Harry and Patty Chase and Mary Nelle Osborne, all of St. James, Knoxville; Yvonne Gibbs of Christ Church, Rugby; Sandy Elledge of EAM and St. Thomas, Knoxville; Marita and Bill Pratt of St. Clare, LaFollette; and Tupper and Sheila Morehead of St. Francis, Norris.