The Health Ministry Program's 40-Day Journey

Keeping true to its mission to help people get care, stay well and build healthy communities, Keystone Mercy Health Plan created in 2000 a faith-based, wellness program for African American women called the Health Ministry Program for Women.

A component of the program, the 40-Day Journey, focuses on the family through a six-week program emphasizing:

• Nutrition
• Exercise
• Medication Compliance
• Water Intake

Objectives

• Educate African American and minority families about   the importance of healthy eating.
• Increase their daily regimen of cardiovascular activities.
• Increase participant knowledge of stress triggers and stress management techniques to help them maintain healthy lifestyles.
• Emphasize and reinforce doctor involvement for medication compliance.
• Motivate participants to continue with healthy food selections at home when the program is completed.

Components

As part of the 40-Day Journey, a questionnaire was specifically designed to collect demographic information, and pre- and post-health assessments were done including screening results for:

• Blood pressure
• BMI
• Body circumference
• Girth
• Glucose
• HbA1c
• Health assessment
• Height
• Lipids
• Total cholesterol
• Triglycerides
• Weight

Partners

• African American Faith-Based Churches
• Albert Einstein Health System
• American Diabetes Association
• American Heart Association
• Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority
• Congregational Nurses Committee
• Fox Chase Cancer Center
• Healthy by Design
• Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia
• Nazareth Hospital Stroke Center
• Philadelphia Department of Health
• The Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Health and Fitness

Outcomes

In the weeks following the 40-Day Journey, almost all of the participants experienced positive results. There were a total of 2,500 participants from 12 churches, of which 825 were Keystone Mercy members. Of the participants who followed the three-pillared program (a plant-based diet where possible, intermittent training and cognitive behavior change), prelimiary data* found the following health improvements among participants with diabetes:

• Nearly a 20% drop in triglycerides
• 22% decrease in LDL (“bad”) cholesterol (31% for those with Type-1 diabetes)
• 17% reduction in fasting blood sugar
• 4.6% weight reduction (3% for Type-1 patients)
• 5% reduction in resting heart rate
• Nearly a 6% drop in systolic blood pressure
• 4% decline in diastolic blood pressure

In a survey, participants reported, on average, a 73% improvement in pain and an 81% improvement in mobility and flexibility. They also reported, on average, an 84.5% improvement in their attitude and hope for the future.

*Results of our programs are more anecdotal than scientific.