In November of 2009 a number of GHICEJ member congregations came together in two powerful dialogue sessions and crafted the following
“Message of the People to the body and leadership of GHICEJ”:
We see the faith movement as a movement of healers that needs to follow the example of the prophets who emphasized justice and healing… As someone echoed at the Muhammad Islamic Center (one of the sights) “My right and your right should be the same” and another, “Health care is a race issue, an immigration issue, a rights issue and a moral issue – therefore a moral shift is needed in how we approach things. As people of faith we need to be healers of these injustices…”
These conversations and other initiatives provided the opportunity for members to share their views and personal experiences of the current health care system in CT; hear stories and experiences that are similar, and different from their own; and to explore the role of faith communities in addressing concerns raised by the group.
This two year initiative was funded by the CT Health Foundation to create awareness and public will among faith congregations regarding such disparities and to plan strategic actions to address such concerns. Still more needs to be done and we call upon our members to support this issue in GHICEJ.
To learn more, please call or email Margaret at (860) 548-1744 or margysk@aol.com.
Click to download the full report.
A conversation on health disparities with State Senator Toni Harp (D-New Haven), sponsored by the Greater Hartford Interfaith Coalition for Equity and Justice and hosted by the First Church of the Living God on September 28, 2010.
