Helping the Nashville African American Community Gain Access to Healthcare 

Navigating the healthcare system alone is confusing enough. Learning how to gain access to quality healthcare and understanding options, insurance plans, policies and more, can be even more so confusing. Studies have shown African Americans greatly struggle with health literacy, preventing them from knowing or understanding how our healthcare system works. 

Our mission at CHEN is to partner with the African American community, churches, and other congregations to reach healthcare equity for all. In order to help further health literacy, CHEN provides the support, guidance, and expertise those in your congregation need to receive proper healthcare. Our faith-based, non-profit organization has helped hundreds of people gain access to health services, healthy food and vaccinations with our expert representations. 

Access to Healthcare Includes: 

  • Connection to PCP
  • Navigation of Health Care System
  • Clinical Settings 
  • Care Management
  • Access to Preventative Healthcare 
  • Utilization of Community Resources
  • Congregation Interventions & Outcomes
  • Policy & Legislation Formation
Woman With Her Healthcare Practitioner — Nashville, TN — CHEN

Influencing & Impacting Local Communities through Congregations & Faith-Based Organizations

“We have almost 300 active congregants seeking health care through CHEN, we have over 100 congregational partners right now, CHEN just provided for 140 Davidson County residents who have been infected with COVID-19 who are behind in their rent, mortgage and utilities, and we’ve been able to vaccinate more than 1,000 individuals,” - Hammonds

  • NGH & NHC – Our partnership with Nashville General Hospital and Nashville Healthcare Center provides both insured and uninsured members with access to multiple primary and specialty care services, emergency care, care management, Food Pharmacy, and more. Patient classes for smoking cessation, diabetes, and hypertension are also available. To make an appointment at Nashville General Hospital, click HERE. To make an appointment at Nashville Healthcare Center, click HERE. 
  • Food Pharmacy – The Food Pharmacy at NGH program is based on using food as it was intended – for medicine. It emphasizes on using food, healthy eating, and lifestyle habits to improve the overall health of our patients. Members of the program are provided nutritious foods, social work services and nutrition counseling over a six-month period at NO COST to them. For more information, click HERE. 
  • EPICC Project – This grant-funded project between CHEN, TSU, Meharry, and Vanderbilt helps increase a church’s capacity to identify and utilize evidence-based health programs relevant to the needs of their congregants. To learn more about this project and how to participate, click HERE. 
  • TNCEAL – This Community Engaged Coalition helps increase the understanding of factors that contribute to the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 in underserved communities in TN and establish effective, community-engaged strategies that increase knowledge, awareness, testing, and vaccine readiness, and begin to address structural inequities and COVID-19 disparities. Our partnership helps us provide vaccination & testing at church events and locations. Interested in hosting an event or want to request up-to-date information? Contact us HERE. 
  • American Heart Association – The Healthy for Life Program through AHA focuses on interactive features like healthy cooking demonstrations, shopping skills, and nutrition and heart health workshops. The goal is to help individuals and families learn how healthy food can help them accomplish their goals and reach their potential every day. AHA will train a facilitator and fund resources for implementation at your church. Interested in receiving training? Contact us HERE.

Get in touch with CHEN today! We look forward to assisting our community with Access to Healthcare 

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