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Beyond its primary function to deliver health care services, hospitals and clinic practices are often major employers in their communities. They also regularly confront the physical and psychological consequences of social inequalities experienced by patients. This month’s issue explores the roles health care delivery organizations can play in supp...
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... Historically, faith-based organizations, especially Christian faith-based organizations (Reese & Shields, 2000;Vidal, 1999), have helped in shaping the moral values of human society, starting with the youth (Lerner, Dowling, & Anderson, 2003), through various developmental stages of life (Furrow, King & White, 2004). They have also played vital roles in the economic and social development of human society in tangible forms. ...
Workplace bullying as a phenomenon refers to all forms of violence, terrorism, and harassment intended to harm or truncate the physical and psychosocial well-being of a worker. While workplace bullying is one of the major causes of stress and other health problems, financial losses both to the organizations and affected people, little is known about its negative impact on the gospel ministry at the workplace. Integrating faith in professional practice (orthopraxy) is much more important than mere belief (orthodoxy). This is especially important in this era of religious pluralism and multiple interpretations of the Bible among Christians. Like the Bible Pharisees, some professionals are hypocrites who make life difficult for the people they hate at the workplace. This attitude to colleagues serves as a barrier against the gospel. This paper explores few cultural factors and organizational theories which encourage bullying at the workplace. Also, it argues that workplace bullying, especially in Christian organizations, instills fear instead of faith, and erects social and psychological barriers to the gospel. The paper concludes by proposing a model for ameliorating the circumstances, creating safe and positive workplace environments that are conducive for spreading the gospel and fostering deeper faith in Jesus Christ.
... Program fidelity refers to the extent to which the program adhered to its explicit objective to meet the felt-need of married couples for FP. Coupled with the other key elements of program integrity, objectives that are clear and understood by the shareholders can contribute to their competence and commitment to the program (Vidal, 2001). They also direct action and attention to behaviors that the shareholders believe will more effectively attain it. ...
Drawing on the concept of program integrity, this paper assessed whether or not the Natural Family Planningprogram of a church organization met the felt-need for family planning of married couples as its intended clients.Program integrity is the practical concept that programs should be organizationally and structurally sound to meet theneeds of their intended recipients. It includes the five key elements of fidelity, dosage, reception, quality of serviceand program differentiation. Multiple focus group discussions were conducted with the service providers and marriedcouples to gather data on its objectives, processes and outcomes. Except for the element of fidelity to the program’sexplicit objectives and values, the data clearly and consistently suggest that, in the case under observation, theprogram did not adequately meet the felt-need of the married couples for family planning in terms of the fourelements of dosage, reception, quality of service delivery and program differentiation. Related to the five elements ofprogram integrity, implications to theory and pastoral practice were drawn and specific recommendations made toenhance processes and achieve desired outcomes.
... Oftentimes religious organizations have already established connections to underserved and needy populations compared to other providers and, therefore, are called upon to manage social issues. Very recently, FBOs have become major recipients of funding for substance-abuse programs; consequently, research about the nexus of the integration of spirituality into SUD treatment has burgeoned in extant literature (Allen & Lo, 2010;Gryczynski & Ward, 2011;Unterrainer, Lewis, Wallner-Liebmann, Collicutt, & Fink, 2012;Vidal, 2001). FBOs' SUD treatment processes are useful methods for many clients especially due to the emphasis on religion and spirituality. ...
We articulate the manner in which some faith-based organizations assist families to maintain or resume appropriate social functioning while their family members are undergoing substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. The application of systematic intervention methods by faith-based organizations to assist families is discussed. In addition, the roles that religion and spirituality play in overcoming the duo of substance use disorder and family dysfunction are delineated. Other interventional strategies that faith-based organizations deploy in ensuring family cohesion during SUD treatment for a family member are discussed. Implications for social work practice and identified knowledge gaps for further research are explored.
... 28 To provide high-quality care efficiently, the organisation has to integrate its organisational functions, professional groups and specialist workers into one coherent effort. 29 In the meantime, little has been achieved in this domain in Lithuania. Organisational ethics is not the sum of the ''good behaviour'' of personnel but is a complex combination of functional interactions, network of structures and functions, and combinations of roles that can deal with the needs of society in a responsible manner. ...
Ethical problems in healthcare in Lithuania are identified, existing mechanisms that deal with them are analysed and policy implications are discussed. At least three groups of ethical problems exist in the Lithuanian healthcare system: problems in the healthcare reform process, in interprofessional interaction and in doctor-patient relationships. During the past 15 years, several diverse legal, political and administrative mechanisms have been implemented in Lithuania to tackle these problems. Despite major achievements, numerous problems persist, implying that the focus should be shifted to different mechanisms and interventions. It is necessary to broaden the conceptual understanding of ethics in healthcare and focus on management ethics to tackle ethical problems in Lithuania or in other countries in transition.
... Although general evidence regarding the efficacy of faith-based interventions is reviewed elsewhere (Johnson, 2002), we emphasize that efforts to understand the effectiveness of faith-based programs presumes an understanding of (at the very least) what faith-based programs are and what they do. There is a growing literature on the definition of faith-based organizations involved in the provision of social services (Vidal, 2001), although we will argue that faith-based substance abuse treatment may occupy a unique niche and must be understood in relation to traditional substance abuse treatment programs -particularly in light of the preeminence of 12-step philosophy (Roman & Blum, 1999) and emphasis upon spirituality in the recovery process (Albers, 1997;White, 1998). ...
... A critical starting point for this discussion is the definition of bfaith-basedQ programs, as extant definitions appear many and varied. Castelli and McCarthy (1997) define faith-based organizations to include congregations, national networks (such as Catholic Charities or YMCA), freestanding religious organizations, or other urban or social ministries providing some community service (Vidal, 2001). A White House White Paper (2001, p. 3) takes a broader view, including both religious and secular organizations, referring to bfaith-based grassroots groups. . . ...
This article (a) discusses the definition of faith-based substance abuse treatment programs, (b) juxtaposes Durkheim's theory regarding religion with treatment process model to highlight key dimensions of faith-based and traditional programs, and (c) presents results from a study of seven programs to identify key program dimensions and to identify differences/similarities between program types. Focus group/Concept Mapping techniques yielded a clear "spiritual activities, beliefs, and rituals" dimension, rated as significantly more important to faith-based programs. Faith-based program staff also rated "structure and discipline" as more important and "work readiness" as less important. No differences were found for "group activities/cohesion" and "role modeling/mentoring," "safe, supportive environment," and "traditional treatment modalities." Programs showed substantial similarities with regard to core social processes of treatment such as mentoring, role modeling, and social cohesion. Implications are considered for further research on treatment engagement, retention, and other outcomes.
... Although the scope of development activity appears to be broad, business operations, housing, and training and job services mixed with other social services are the most common activities, and many churches cooperate with neighborhood or other church-based efforts rather than engage in programs alone and face the resource demands they require (Reese & Shields, 2000). Thus, it may be the case that the very visible examples of faith-based economic development are not the norm because many congregations lack the capacity to conduct economic development activities on a significant scale (Vidal, 2001; Walker, 2001). Faith-based economic development may be limited to certain types of congregations under certain conditions. ...
... Initial research suggests that larger churches are more likely to operate businesses (bakeries, restaurants, and restoration companies) and job training programs, and churches with predominantly African American congregations appear more likely to offer financial services such as credit unions to their congregants (Lincoln & Mamiya, 1990; Reese & Shields, 2000). In short, it seems that larger African American congregations in economically stressed communities—but with a modest number of low-income parishioners—are most likely to be active in economic development, a pattern similar to that found for social service provision (Chaves & Tsitsos, 2001; Vidal, 2001). Although denomination has been found to increase social service provision among mainline Protestant congregations (Chaves & Tsitsos, 2001), the effect on economic development activities has not been fully explored and particularly fine distinctions in religious sect have not been employed. ...
... Those with more resources—in terms of membership and staff—are obviously able to be more involved in development activities. This finding supports previous research suggesting that economic development activities are not common among FBOs because of a lack of capacity (Vidal, 2001; Walker, 2001). The ability to support development through government grants as opposed to the general budget of the congregation not surprisingly appears to facilitate economic development. ...
In light of a federal policy-making environment that at least rhetorically has supported greater roles for faith-based organizations (FBOs) in social service provision and community development, this article explores the nature and extent of faith-based economic development activities in an urban inner-city environment. Based on a phone survey of clergy, the analysis addresses the following policy issues: track records of FBOs in economic development, types of FBOs most experienced in economic development, financial practices of FBOs in administering development activities, and clients served. The analysis concludes that faith-based development efforts may not be a viable alternative to government programs at this time and are not prevalent enough to significantly enhance government efforts. Furthermore, financing and administering faith-based development activities raises several concerns; for example, many FBOs do not create nonprofit entities, making it difficult to maintain a sacred and secular separation and oversee the use of public funds.
Nearly half of HIV infections in the United States are concentrated among African Americans, and over half of new HIV infections occur in the South. African Americans have poorer outcomes in the entire continua of HIV and PrEP care. Complex social, structural, and behavioral factors contribute to our nation’s alarming racial disparities in HIV infection, particularly in the Deep South. Despite the importance of faith, spirituality and religious practice in the lives of many African Americans, there has been little scientific investment exploring how African Americans’ religious participation, faith and spirituality may impact our nation’s HIV epidemic. This article summarizes the state of the science on this critical issue. We also identify opportunities for new scholarship on how faith, spirituality and religious participation may impact HIV care continuum outcomes in the South and call for greater federal research investment on these issues.
This project examines the connections between community psychology and faith-based community development. We investigate whether and how 4 major principles of community psychology-neighboring, sense of community, empowerment, and citizen participation-are found in the theory and philosophy of practice of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), a national faith-based community development network. We employ content analysis of four official CCDA publications to identify whether and how these four principles are embedded in the organization's espoused principles of practice. Our findings are as follows: (a) All four principles are found within CCDA theory and philosophy of practice, with the greatest emphasis on neighboring and sense of community and a less robust application of empowerment and citizen participation; (b) CCDA primarily focuses on the individual-level impact of these principles; and (c) CCDA Bases their application of these principles in Christian scripture and tradition. Our results indicate that the field could be strengthened by examining religious approaches to these principles and considering how organizations engage these concepts in both the theory and the practice. Additionally, faith-based organizations may foster a more effective application of these concepts in their social change efforts by partnering with community researchers and practitioners.
The value that religious congregations provide to their urban communities was never challenged yet never fully assessed. Using the methodology of valuation, we attempted to provide a monetary value to the contributions of such congregations. We divided the studied contributions to six key area and discuss the meaning of each such contribution. Based on empirical work in three US cities (N = 90), we assess the monetary value of these congregations to their respective urban ecologies. Using variety of methods, we assess that such annual per congregation contribution spanned between $1,269,780 and $2,511,376. We then, analyze what is any of the congregational characteristics explain overall contribution as well within the six main categories. We also discuss area not studied in which congregations support their communities, discuss our limitations, and offer directions for new research as well as policy implications.
