Central Jersey Family Health Consortium is thrilled to join community partner Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton as part of their Faith-leaders Allied and Aligned to Institute Trust in the Home (FAAITH) and Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE) projects. Shiloh is one the oldest Black churches in the City of Trenton. As the Senior Pastor, the church and Rev. Darrell Armstrong have been seen as trailblazers in Trenton for social justice issues and advocating for community concerns. They endeavor to make Trenton a safe space for birthing families and beyond. Systems for Action, a national Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program, awarded the Shiloh Community Development Corporation a one-year planning grant to expand a congregationally-based, faith-infused home visiting program to address racial disparities and inequities in collaboration with Tufts Medical Center.
The project will support Shiloh pastor and FAAITH founder Rev. Darrell Armstrong in his effort to include a research-based HOPE framework into his ministries and to help families and the whole faith community better understand the developmental needs of "the blessing of life [babies] God has given them."
The project aims to challenge the public health idea that people's communities are geographic only. "Most people identify their communities by affiliation and culture, not zip code. Yet, most public health funding focuses only on where people live," said Dr. Robert Sege, Director of the HOPE National Resource Center and founder of the HOPE framework. Rev. Armstrong added, "Many of us would include our places of worship as an important anchor community. This grant allows us to highlight and demonstrate the unique role and vital impact faith communities can have on the health and wellbeing of children, families, and communities."
Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton is one of CJFHC's community partners for the Healthy Women Healthy Families Program. “We applaud him and his church's efforts to become more proactive in maternal health matters. Rev. Armstrong has partnered with Tufts University on this initiative. Through the involvement of several community partners, including CJFHC, we support creating change to reduce health disparities and moving toward implementing health equity for all." Said Dr. Judith Francis, CJFHC Program Manager who was in attendance at the press event announcing the recently awarded "Health Equity & Early Childhood Development" planning grant.
