Heart and Soul

Heart of the Matter, Soul of the People (Heart and Soul) is a long-term partnership in the Phoenix-based African-American community focused on reducing cardiovascular-related mortality and morbidity that is driven by leadership from Tanner Community Development Corporation and the Arizona Black Nurses Association.

In FY2012 the collaboration took another progressive leap forward, partnering with its network of more than 30 churches on the Let’s Move AZ Challenge, a series of six-week sessions devoted health education, physical activity, field trips for children and community building around health eating and active living. More than 1,200 people were recruited and engaged, with nearly 15 percent completing at least one full six-week session. Participants were committed to being active for a minimum of 30 minutes per day, with kids and teens reaching 60 minutes each day. Participants were awarded as they reached monthly goals, with a capstone award ceremony in June and ongoing communications and group support for ongoing habits. As the program continues, Heart and Soul is aggressively developing strategies to reinforce participation even as it celebrates dramatic results.

As the Challenge has continued on, so has Heart and Soul’s ongoing leadership and management of a broad array of health promotion activities that are integrated into community life, including ongoing tobacco prevention activities, youth physical activity, community gardens and barber shop blood pressure checks. Using SLHI funds restricted for cardiovascular and lung diseases, the partnership continues to expand and deepen relationships.

Work that began in 2003 with just six participating churches continues to flourish today, and recent findings from the Arizona Department of Health Services indicates that health disparities among Phoenix-based African Americans are in fact decreasing as a result. Building coalitions takes time and patience, but the returns on investment are well worth it.