The Virginia Faith Based Outreach Initiative

The Virginia Faith Based Outreach Initiative is a coalition of five churches in the Western Tidewater region of Virginia founded by a former Bronx Health REACH faith-based health coordinator. The coalition is committed to decreasing health disparities in the Western Tidewater region through education, public awareness and developing community partnerships to focus on health problems identified by the CDC. The Coalition’s Legacy Project is implementing best practices identified in the Bronx Health REACH Faith Based Outreach Initiative Toolkit. The project aims to develop health ministries by engaging faith and lay leaders in health promotion and health equality advocacy, providing support and training for church health coordinators, distributing health materials, and sponsoring two coalition community health outreach events.