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They won’t replace going to the doctor, but wellness centers to be housed in six southeast Greensboro churches will have an impact on people especially within walking distance, public health officials say.

“It’s an avenue to get to this particular group of people information that will help them take care of themselves,” said Sandra Blackstock, the coordinator for the health ministry at Providence Baptist Church, which has agreed to participate.

Blackstock is an A&T assistant professor in the School of Nursing.

“That will impact morbidity, mortality and the cost as far as health care,” she said.

The selection of southeast Greensboro was intentional, said Merle Green, Guilford County’s health director.

“Residents in southeast Greensboro have some of the most challenging health results in the county,” she said.

That includes high rates of  heart disease, cancer and kidney disease in an area with a lack of medical offices and where many people are uninsured and do not have easy access to transportation.

“Good health practices can reverse negative health effects,” Green said. “So whenever we get these valuable grant dollars, we try to target communities that really need our help the most.”

The Community Empowerment Network Project in Local Churches grant is funded by the state Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, and implemented by the county health department. The faith-based grant had to involve churches as partners.

“No matter where they say put it, there is a need right there,” Green said.

Items purchased with the $6,000 grant include blood pressure cuffs, exercise videos and elastic bands for strength training.
Churches donate the space. One congregation just bought a house near the church and plans to house the wellness center there.

Another church plans to clean out a Sunday school room.

Providence has a full-sized gym with a basketball court that will be used as part of the wellness center.

The churches, which include Mount Zion Baptist Church and Love and Faith Christian Fellowship, are working on easy access schedules for the community, and those should be available in the next few weeks. The other churches have yet to be announced.

“You don’t need a doctor to show you how to move around,” Green said. “We’re also not asking churches to hire a nurse or an exercise physiologist. These are self-serve centers.”

Contact Nancy McLaughlin at 373-7049 or nancy.mclaughlin@news-record.com