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Faith & Spiritual Affairs
Faith and Spiritual Affairs
Faith and Spiritual Affairs Advisory Board is dedicated to engaging faith-based and spiritual communities about behavioral health wellness supports and services and reducing the stigma associated with behavioral health concerns.
By collaborating and advocating with faith and spiritual communities, City agencies, and stakeholders, DBHIDS will enhance ways to provide health care to Philadelphia communities.
About Faith and Spiritual Affairs (FSA)
FSA utilizes the public health approach to educate communities of faith with evidence-based trainings, workshops, and conferences with a focus on educating communities of faith on signs and symptoms of behavioral health issues along with local behavioral health resources and programs.
The success of FSA in the community is due largely to the diversity and support of the FSA advisory board, which is comprised of members from diverse religions as well as agnostics, academics, providers, and representatives of grassroots organizations who are committed to opening their doors to DBHIDS staff and stakeholders to provide supports to their communities.
The annual Faith and Spiritual Affairs conference is an example of a successful model of bringing awareness, education, and resolution to the community on issues and challenges that may impact individuals.
More than 3,000 people from the faith and provider community and individuals with lived experiences have attended the conference since it started in the 2000s. The attendees have had the opportunity to experience workshops from presenters who are experts in the fields of trauma, behavioral health services, incarceration, re-entry, children’s services, intellectual disabilities, HIV/AIDS, violence reduction, and services for the aging.
Using a population health approach, FSA collaborates with faith and spiritual organizations, city agencies, providers, stakeholders, people of faith, and others to develop and implement ways to improve behavioral health and overall wellness within communities.
Some of the ways FSA accomplishes this is by providing:
- Trauma-informed training such as Spiritual First Aid
- Evidence-based trainings
- Educational workshops
- An annual conference
- Behavioral health resources and programs
- Virtual outreach
- Healing & Hope Series
For more information on FSA and upcoming events, please contact Samantha Grannum at Samantha.Grannum@Phila.gov
Advisory Board Statement on COVID-19 Vaccine
Advisory Board Members
Samantha Grannum (Program Lead)
Jack Trieu
Carmelo Urena, Ph.D.
John K Carlson, MBA, CRS, BAC
Rev. Myra Maxwell
Ram A. Cnaan
Rev. Dr. Christobal M. Kimmenez, Psy.D.
Rev. G. Lamar Stewart Jr.
Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart
Rev. Toneh Williams
Zachary Green
Rev. Dr. Dolores Littleton
