A Hi Bard Welcome to our Collaboration!! Thank you for reading this. This can give you background information for doign the PowerPoints!! Thank you, Marcia :)
Introduction:
This is the letter to Black Catholic churches where we are working:"
Dear Deacon Denis Corbin,
Peace. I hope this letter finds you well. I enjoyed our brief conversation earlier this week. My name is Dr. Marcia Uddoh, and I am a Black Catholic and the Founder and CEO of Stress Vitals Institute LLC, a charitable organization dedicated to empowering low-income communities with holistic, Christian-based stress management tools. I am writing to invite you to collaborate with our organization on an upcoming workshop focused on cardiac health, specifically tailored for faith communities.
Mission and Vision
Our mission is to empower low-income communities with holistic, Christian-based stress management tools, grounded in cutting-edge neuroscience research. We believe that everyone deserves to live a healthy and fulfilling life, and we are committed to making our programs accessible to those who need them most.
How we Align with Your Church's Mission and Values
We believe that our program aligns well with your church's mission and values. As you state on your website, "As grateful stewards we strive to become better disciples of the Lord by accepting, nurturing, and sharing God’s gifts of life and love, in ministry and service, through the use of our time, talents and treasure." Our workshops provide a unique opportunity for your church to serve your community by providing them with access to critical health information and resources. By managing stress and improving cardiovascular health, your members can live more fulfilling and meaningful lives, and be better able to serve their faith and their community.
The Problem and the Solution
Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is a leading cause of death in the United States, and it disproportionately affects low-income communities. Stress is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and it is important for individuals to understand how to manage stress effectively.
Our workshop provides participants with the knowledge and tools they need to manage stress and improve their cardiovascular health. We use a research-based approach, and our workshops are led by experienced health professionals.
Unique Selling Points
One of the unique aspects of our workshop is the cardiac risk assessments we provide. These assessments offer immediate, actionable insights for individuals. More importantly, the aggregated data can serve as a valuable resource for you, as a church leader, to understand the specific health challenges and needs within your congregation. During the workshop, we will go over this data and discuss strategies for holistic interventions that align with your pastoral goals.
We also offer a variety of other unique benefits to our participants, including:
Free workbooks on stress management and cardiovascular health
Exclusive access to Heart Rate Variability sessions
A complete health kit for your community, including a blood pressure cuff
Potential access to a free CPR course
Value to Your Community
By participating in our workshop, your community can gain valuable insights into their cardiac health, receive free educational materials and resources, and stay updated with the latest research findings. We also offer a variety of exclusive benefits to our Health Church Group participants who join us.
Immediate and Long-Term Benefits
The immediate benefits of our workshop include:
Free cardiac risk assessments
Free workbooks on stress management and cardiovascular health
A fun and interactive learning experience
The long-term benefits of our workshop include:
Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
Improved mental and physical health
A more fulfilling and meaningful life
Testimonials and References
We have received positive feedback from other organizations and individuals who have benefited from our other workshops. Here are a few testimonials:
"We used the peace camp for the first time on our junior-retreat, and it was fantastic. We got tremendous results from the students. Both the game and Marcia herself are extremely inspiring. Her whole personality exudes the peace she talks about." - Reverend Thibodeaux S.J., Jesuits, Houston from Houston Chronicle Article
"They looked very engaged during the workshop, a testament to the program's effectiveness." - Bishop Vann, Fort Worth
Next Steps
We would be honored if you would consider hosting this workshop at your parish. Please let us know your thoughts at your earliest convenience. Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the health of your community. We look forward to the possibility of collaborating with you.
For more information about our workshop, please visit our website:
Attachments
I have attached my CV, a sample workshop workbook cover, and a list of published articles for your review.
Closing
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
In Christ,
Marcia E. I Uddoh MD (candidate), PhD, MPH, MS, MSW"
This is the information formthe website: "
WEBSITE:
Health Reports: Empowering Communities
Transform Financial Stress into Health Awareness
HealthChurchWatch offers a unique approach to community health by focusing on financial stress as a key indicator of cardiac risk. Our assessments are designed for groups, not just individuals, providing pastors with actionable insights without adding to their workload.
Key Features:
1. Group Assessments: Understand the cardiac risk of your congregation based on their financial stress timeline.
2. Comprehensive Reports: Receive a detailed summary complete with a conceptual framework to guide interventions.
3. Workshop Integration: Conduct assessments before our workshops and discuss the findings as a part of the session.
4. Pastor-Friendly: We simplify the data into easy-to-understand reports, complete with a PowerPoint presentation and video explanation.
Future Vision:
"While our immediate focus is on providing health reports, we envision HealthChurchWatch evolving into a broader health awareness initiative. Our goal is to empower Black Catholic communities to take charge of their health, starting with financial stress as a key indicator." Thank you!!!
Here is some information on the research I did:" INTRODUCTION
Every year, over one million people suffer from an initial acute myocardial infarction ischemic stroke.1 Low-income individuals are disproportionately affected at a higher rate.2 Unfortunately, while there are early preventive strategies that could reduce the number of these events by 30%, these strategies have not yet been implemented due to sub-optimal risk identification.1 Self-reported psychosocial stress is an independent risk factor for myocardial infarction and stroke.3 Therefore, stress can identify those at risk for cardiovascular disease based on an assessment of their stress level.3
The identification of individuals at risk for stress-related health problems requires a multi-level approach, including the use of a stress model, a comprehensive framework, a metric, and a foundational theory. Within this context, Cox and McKay's4 interactive stress model is appropriate because their research demonstrated how psychosocial stress can lead to varied responses to stress under equal circumstances. The social ecological model (SEM) is considered the most widely accepted framework in public health-related behaviors.5,6 It has been used as a metric to address cardiovascular diseases7. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) provides a foundational theory that both incorporates the SEM levels8 and addresses the behavioral aspects of stress with cardiovascular disease and health outcomes.9 Health professionals bridge theory to practical implications and can be trained to identify individuals at risk for cardiac disease and then educate low-income people about the impact of financial stress on their cardiac health.10
Financial stress has been investigated specifically with regard to cardiovascular disease.11,12 Few studies have employed a multidimensional approach to understand the complex interplay between individual perceptions and financial stress to identify those with cardiac risk.13,14 Current research is also limited in terms of addressing the cognitive patterns of perception that may influence health outcomes within this context.8
This study is grounded in SCT and aims to explore the influence of low-income people’s perceptions of health on social ecological levels as a predictor of cardiac risk. SCT proposes a triadic association between personal attributes, environmental influences, and behavior.15 We developed a new evidence-based conceptual instrument, HeartCross Stress Ratio (HCSR), to assess psychosocial cardiac risk identification. We aim to identify individuals based on their stress coping mechanism as either cognitive flexibility or inflexibility—each with distinctive health implications.16
The present study aims to answer the question: “Can the HeartCross Stress Ratio, as described in our conceptual framework, predict the risk of cardiovascular disease among low-income people based on the socioecological levels where low-income people perceive stress?”
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