COLLABORATIVE HEALTH-EDUCATION TRAINING FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN HEALTH MINISTERS AND PROVIDERS OF COMMUNITY-SERVICES

A 56-hr interdisciplinary ''train-the-trainer'' model was developed for lay representatives (health ministers) of African American churches and in-service directors representing health and social service agencies in northeast Tennessee. Sessions were taught by East Tennessee State University faculty affiliated with the university's Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology and the Ohio Valley Appalachia Regional Geriatric Education Center The content of the workshops included critical issues in aging, health promotion, and disease prevention for aging African Americans. Workshops took the form of group discussions, games, simulations, and audiovisual presentations. The program demonstrated positive outcomes of increased networking, a new formal linkages, and new resources within the African American community for health promotion and disease prevention activities. Problems encountered in implementing this project included the influence of religion on health beliefs, role shifts among the health ministers, and the need for cultural competency among service providers.