The REACHing Well project partners with rural churches to help strengthen their capacity to meet the unique challenges in access to and enjoyment of healthful foods and physical activity opportunities in rural areas—both inside the church and out into the surrounding community. This work highlights:

• Well Church Ministry formation trainings
• A novel church-clinic 'food as medicine' produce prescription program and food drive
• Church-specific physical activity education and policies
• A healthy concessions program for after-school events
• Early Childhood and church nursery health policies

Clergy have assumed a prominent role in advising lifestyle choices related to personal and public health for their communities, especially in rural areas, often void of healthcare presence. However, recent research has highlighted that clergy have inadequate knowledge, and left without proper resources to help them provide and/or refer to accurate health information. To help ameliorate these issues, the primary goal of this project is to develop a high-quality, self-paced virtual education program for clergy to improve their health knowledge, abilities, and referral practices. The platform also enables growth of other health and wellness topics to edify clergy and faith leaders.

Aimed to authentically engage and build sustaining relationships with rural communities, churches, and faith-based communities who are disproportionately impacted by health concerns of infectious and chronic diseases in ways that lead to improved health.

VOICE

• Provide a simple method for rural and faith-based communities to share their concerns, questions, and needs for health information and resources
• Develop information and resources in response to those concerns, questions, and needs

CHOICE

• Provide access to health resources, so individuals and churches can make better decisions regarding their own health
• Support personal choice in decision making, without pressure
• Respect personal values and beliefs

Aimed to implement a Well Church and Community Conference across Texas rural counties through an Extension-local church collaboration, providing education on the prevention of opioid misuse/abuse and infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and the confluence with chronic disease prevention through healthy lifestyles.

The overarching goal was to impact prevention awareness, knowledge, attitudes, intention and behavior through the conference delivery, as well as encourage and support sustainable partnerships for multilevel activities motivated by the conference impact.