Nursing sorority ‘goes where needs are’
Chi Eta Phi chapter honored at May 13 Salute
Of the St. Louis American
Inspired by its national motto “Service To Humanity,” Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc., Rho Chapter’s members take their expertise in health care into the community where it’s needed, when it’s needed.
Chi Eta Phi, whose members are predominantly African-American, is a national sorority of registered professional nurses and nursing students. Its programs focus on health promotion/disease prevention, leadership development, mentoring, recruitment and retention and scholarships.
“We stay busy,” said Rho Chapter President Marsha Cunningham.
“We take health screenings and education where it is requested. We go where the needs are, like black churches. We also recently partnered with Mercy Health Plan to offer screenings at the Missouri Black Expo and Hispanic Expo.”
Cunningham said it is important to reach out to urban and minority communities because their residents “don’t seek out health care as much as other communities.”
“Either they don’t have the money or they don’t have the access,” Cunningham explained.
“A church might want to serve its congregation by providing an opportunity for health screenings and education. Many times we are in neighborhoods where there are large health disparities.”
For its hands-on advocacy and service to the region, Rho Chapter of Chi Eta Phi Sorority has been named the 2006 Health Advocacy Organization of the Year. The chapter will be honored during the Sixth Annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care Luncheon on May 13 at the Renaissance Grand Hotel.
She noted the importance of educating African Americans on dealing with diabetes, especially once they have been diagnosed and are out of the hospital.
“Many times, the hospital is not the best place to discuss the impact of diabetes on one’s future. Some people need a more relaxed atmosphere to talk about diabetes.”
She said her chapter’s members are often called on to “help people understand the importance of diet and exercise.”
“We help them change their thoughts on foods, as well as exercise to control the impact of diabetes on their lives.”
American Publisher Donald M. Suggs said the fight against diabetes must include dedicated people like Chi Eta Phi members because they go where they are needed.
“Education is key in stopping the silent killer that is diabetes. True advocacy is like that of Chi Eta Phi. It takes this education to the people, and does not wait on people to find or seek the information on their own,” Suggs said.
Zella Harrington, R.N., and Dr. R. Jerome Williams Sr., M.D., will be honored as Lifetime Achievers at the 2006 Salute to Excellence in Health Care Luncheon, which has minority disparities in diabetes as its dominant theme.
Keynote speaker Samuel Dagogo-Jack, MD, will discuss type 2 diabetes and the paths black Americans must follow to slow down its deadly rampage.
He told the American this week from his office at the University of Tennessee School of Medicine in Memphis that his address, “Overcoming Ethnic Disparities in Diabetes,” would be targeted to “a non-medical audience.”
“I plan to focus on disparities in diabetes and its complications among African Americans. I will marshal practical strategies for overcoming the effects of such disparities,” he said.
The sixth annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Luncheon, presented by the St. Louis American Foundation and Mound City Medical Forum, is set for noon Saturday, May 13, at the Renaissance Grand Hotel in downtown St. Louis. A reception begins at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $40, $50 and $75. For tickets and information, call the St. Louis American at (314) 533-8000, ext. 305.
