YOUR Blessed Health

(YBH)

What is YOUR Blessed Health (YBH)

Faith-Based Institutions (FBIs) can play an integral role in providing accurate information and support systems capable of keeping residents and the community at large safe from HIV/AIDS.

YOUR Blessed Health (YBH) is designed to assist FBIs build the capacity to assist in the process of reducing the rate of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in 11 - 19 year African American males and females by:

Increasing the capacity of Community Base Organiza-tions (CBOs) and Faith Based Institutions (FBIs) to effectively address HIV/STDs.
Change the norms of FBIs to be more supportive of addressing the behaviors that put youth at risk for HIV/STDs.

A Call to Action

Currently, one of the most pressing health epidemics in the African American community is HIV/AIDS. African Americans regardless of their age or sex are becoming infected with HIV/AIDS at alarming rates.

African Americans are 20% of Genesee County's population, but represent 49% of the reported cases of individuals living with HIV/AIDS.
African American teens ages 13 - 19 make up 15% of their group, but account for 65% of new AIDS cases reported in American Teens.

Core/Program Elements

Awareness and skills building training for youth focused on HIV/STD prevention.
Educational sessions for adults
On-going training and support for Pastors, Pastor's spouses, and identified community leaders.
Church-wide activities to (a) raise awareness of HIV/STD; (b) promote prevention, provide HIV testing; and (c) reduce the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.
Promoting community-wide awareness through organized events and YBH Team mobilization efforts.

Partner Organizations

YOUR Center
University of Michigan, School of Public Health
Flint Odyssey House Inc., Health Awareness Center

Local Flint Faith Communities
Genesee County Health Department

Journal Articles

Griffith, D. M., Campbell, B., Allen, J. O., Robinson, K. J., & Stewart, S. K. (2010). YOUR Blessed Health: an HIV-prevention program bridging faith and public health communities. Public Health Rep, 125 Suppl 1, 4–11.

Pichon, LC, Williams, TT, Campbell, B. Faith Leaders Beliefs Concerning HIV Prevention—30 Years into the Epidemic. Family & Community Health. (accepted February 3, 2013).

Pichon, L. C., Williams, T.T., Campbell, B., Parker, S. (2012 April). Informing Faith-Based HIV initiatives Application of CBPR and multiple methods used in program planning and implementation. Paper was presented at the 33rd annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, New Orleans, LA. Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Pichon LC, Griffith DM, Allen JO, Campbell B, Williams TT, Addo A. Comfort level discussing sexual health behavior and HIV prevention in a faith-setting. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. 2012;23(3):1254–1266

Williams, T.T., Dodd, D., Campbell, B., P Griffith, D.M., Allen, J.O., DeLoney, E.H., Robinson, K.J., Lewis, E.Y., Campbell, B., Morrel-Samuels, S., Sparks, A., & Zimmerman, M.A. (2010). Community-Based Organizational Capacity Building as a Strategy to Reduce Racial Health Disparities. Journal of Primary Prevention, 31(1-2), 31-39.

Griffith, D.M., Pichon, L. Campbell, B. & Allen, J.O. (2010). YOUR Blessed Health: A Faith-based, CBPR Approach to Addressing HIV/AIDS among African Americans. AIDS Education and Prevention, 22(3), 203-217. Theme issue on CBPR.

Griffith, D.M., Campbell, B., & Allen, J.O., Robinson, K.J., & Kretman, S. (2010). YOUR Blessed Health: An HIV Prevention Program Bridging Public Health and Faith Communities. Public Health Reports, 125(Suppl 1), 4-11.

Pichon, L.C. Griffith, D.M. (accepted for publication). Discussing adolescent sexual health in African American churches. Journal of Religion and Health.

Pichon, LC, Griffith, DM, Campbell, B, Allen, JO, Williams, TT, and Addo, A. (2012). Faith leaders’ comfort level implementing an HIV prevention curriculum in a faith setting. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 23(3),1254-1266.

Griffith, D.M., Allen, J.O., DeLoney, E.H., Robinson, K.J., Lewis, E.Y., Campbell, B., Morrel-Samuels, S., Sparks, A., & Zimmerman, M.A. (2010). Community-Based Organizational Capacity Building as a Strategy to Reduce Racial Health Disparities. Journal of Primary Prevention, 31(1-2), 31-39.

Griffith, D.M., Pichon, L., Campbell, B. & Allen, J.O. (2010). YOUR Blessed Health: A Faith-based, CBPR Approach to Addressing HIV/AIDS among African Americans. AIDS Education and Prevention, 22(3), 203-217. Theme issue on CBPR.

Griffith, D.M., Campbell, B., Allen, J.O., Robinson, K.J., & Kretman, S. (2010). YOUR Blessed Health: An HIV Prevention Program Bridging Public Health and Faith Communities. Public Health Reports, 125(Suppl 1), 4-11.

Robinson, K., Campbell, B., Griffith, D. Campbell, T. (2010) YOUR Blessed Health Project, An HIV Model for Faith Based Communities. Social Work in Health Settings, Chapter 10.

Campbell, T., Campbell, B. (2004) HIV/AIDS: Manual for Faith Communities in conjunction with the National Coalition of Pastors Spouses and the US Department of Health & Human Services

Technical Reports

Prevention Research Center of, M. (2007). Building Capacity to Improve Community Health (Report). Ann Arbor, MI: Prevention Research Center of Michigan.

Griffith, D. M., & Allen, J. O. (2005). Capacity Building Project Baseline Evaluation: Organizational Assessment Survey (Report). Ann Arbor, MI: Prevention Research Center of Michigan.

Presentations

Williams, T., Sanchez, J., Campbell, B., Griffith, D. M., Allen, J. O., Pichon, L. C., & Williams, Q. (2010, November). HIV prevention in Faith-Based Settings: YOUR Blessed Health Youth Outcomes. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Denver, CO.

Pichon, L. C., Campbell, B., Griffith, D. M., Allen, J. O., Addo, A., Williams, T., … Marshall, Q. (2010, November). Denominational differences in implementing a faith-based HIV curriculum. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Denver, CO.

Pichon, L. C., Campbell, B., Griffith, D. M., & Allen, J. O. (2010, April). Assessment of African American Faith Leaders’ Implementation of a Community Based Participatory Research HIV Prevention Program. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Seattle, WA.

Campbell, B., Pichon, L. C., Griffith, D. M., & Allen, J. O. (2009, September). YOUR Blessed Health: Educating Faith-Based Organizations to Mobilizing communities about HIV/AIDS Awareness. Paper presented at the Health Ministries Association Michigan Chapter Inaugural Regional Conference, Sterling Heights, MI.

Campbell, B., Pichon, L. C., Griffith, D. M., & Allen, J. O. (2009, August). YOUR Blessed Health: A faith-based, CBPR approach to addressing HIV/AIDS among African Americans. Presented at the CDC/ASPH Institute for HIV Prevention Leadership Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Campbell, B., Griffith, D. M., Shirey, L., Kruger, D. J., Robinson, K. J., & Leverette, E. (2008, October). Getting the facts: Using a local community health survey for community mobilization around HIV/AIDS. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, San Diego, CA.

Campbell, B., Griffith, D. M., Robinson, K., Lewis, E. Y., De Loney, E. H., & Sparks, A. (2007, November). YOUR Blessed Health: Balancing church doctrine and HIV education. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.