Mission, Goals and Objectives

Contact Information

Please contact the AMEN team by emailing us at amen@nursing.utexas.edu.

Program Mission

Reduce health disparity gaps through a comprehensive community-based program to improve mental health and physical wellness outcomes of African Americans (AAs) with limited access to quality care.

Goals for Long-Term Sustainability

  1. Implement AMEN in a manner that is:
    1. effective,
    2. sustainable,
    3. community-owned
  2. Build community infrastructure that can operate and expand health promotion programs within the AA community through:
    1. community and academic partnerships
    2. fully integrating the AMEN program with other church and community-based services

Program Approach

  1. Multi-level community engagement with churches, community, healthcare, social services, academics, and local governments
  2. Mutual storytelling to raise awareness and stimulate open dialogue
  3. Address multiple social determinants of health

Program Objectives

Maximizing the rich tradition of AA churches supporting their members, while harnessing the unique resources of the UT SON, we will establish an effective and sustainable community health infrastructure within the AA community that can achieve the following objectives:

  1. Improve Mental Health of AA community through a systematic, multi-faceted program
    1. Raise Awareness and Foster Dialogue
      1. Anti-stigma media campaign
      2. Mental health literacy training for Pastors, Lay health workers and the congregation
    2. Enhance Access to Quality Mental Health Care
      1. Educate pastors to have effective mental health conversations; provide them with evidence-based counseling tools and a referral system
      2. Provide mental health Nurse Practitioner clinical services within the church through UT SON family wellness center
  2. Improve Physical Health of AA community through a comprehensive wellness program
    1. Enhance Access to Quality Health Care
      1. ​Provide primary care Nurse Practitioner clinical services within the church through UT SON family wellness center
      2. Chronic disease self-management program led by a nurse/LHW team from within the church
      3. Ongoing training of LHWs to lead health promotion activities in their churches (e.g., smoking cessation, cancer screening, obesity prevention initiatives)