Eight Sundays per year Saint Paul UMC prepares and serves a meal at Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach for individuals with food insecurity. Interested in commenting on and/or helping with this task? Contact Ann Snider ([email protected]) or Linda Chapman ([email protected]).

Saint Paul UMC sponsors an Afghan refugee family who recently moved to the US, and the Health Justice Committee coordinates this mission.  Tasks include setting up housing, donating furnishings and supplies, assisting in the transition to the community, providing transportation to appointments and emotional support.   Interested in commenting on and/or serving this important mission?  Contact Ann Cerveny ([email protected]).

The Health Justice Committee partners with Visionary Youth to assist with worthy community events including back-to-school haircuts and backpack give aways, Thanksgiving meal, shoe
and coat giveaways, and Christmas toy giveaways.  If you are interested in volunteering for this event, contact Kathryn Borman ([email protected])

Twice yearly (the first Sunday in May and November), the Health Justice Committee organizes an American Red Cross Blood Drive to address the constant need for human blood donations. Contact Patty Bohart ([email protected]) to comment and/or volunteer to help with the planning of this biannual event. 

In the fall of 2021, the Health Justice committee (in partnership with Bryan Health) provided an educational series on events related to health, nutrition and health justice.  Interested in helping organize a health educational, cooking, nutrition or other event?  Contact Pam Edwards ([email protected]).

The health justice committee follows health related issues as they work their way through the Nebraska Unicameral with the goal of educating the congregation and increasing social advocacy. Interested in commenting and/or volunteering for this task? Contact Steve Dunbar ([email protected])

Clinic with a Heart is a faith-inspired organization that serves people who are uninsured and underinsured through a ministry of healthcare. Volunteers provide free healthcare services, including medical, dental, chiropractic, physical therapy, mental health, vision, hearing, dermatology, and spiritual services. Saint Paul UMC is a sponsor of Clinic with a Heart, donating both financially and in volunteer time and commitment to the organization. This is an amazing Lincoln resource which started as a grassroots effort to service individuals in the Lincoln community who are uninsured or underinsured. Saint Paul UMC Health Justice committee has been part of Clinic with a Heart for over ten years, and our recent coordinator is stepping down from his position after ten years of service.  We are seeking an individual who would like to serve as Clinic with a Heart coordinator and member of the Health Justice committee. Interested in this important mission? Join the Health Justice Team and send us a message here. 

Our committee is very interested in nutrition, as evidenced by the Matt Talbot dinners discussed above.  In addition, we have a registered dietitian who is providing healthy snacks to children at Bible School this summer, and we have discussed the idea of holding a cooking seminar or class for children/youth/families at Saint Paul UMC. Interested in opportunities to further nutrition?  Contact Pam Edwards ([email protected]).

Many of us take our excellent health care system in Lincoln for granted. But why is there a 20-year life-expectancy difference between citizens who live in downtown Lincoln vs. citizens who live in southeast Lincoln?

That question is best answered by understanding the concepts of Equity and Equality. Equality means each person gets the same thing, whereas Equity means each person gets what they need. Think of it this way: if bicycles were assigned to citizens under a model of equality, each bicycle would be the same size, type, and shape. Under an equitable system, this one-size-fits-all approach is modified to meet the needs of the individual. Some might need a bigger bicycle, some a smaller bicycle, and some might need a bicycle with training wheels. An equitable system can bend to meet the needs of the individual, whereas an equal system asks the individual to do the bending.

The health care needs of Lincoln’s downtown residents are simply not being met. Those shortfalls may be related to lack of access to health care, preventive medicine, substance abuse treatment, mental health care treatment, nutrition, prenatal care, or a number of other areas within the healthcare system.

We have learned that a true Christian community gives to others according to their needs, not according to their value. In an ideal Christian community, equity, not equality is both the goal and the result.

Interested in learning more about the concepts of Equity vs. Equality?
Here’s a great article by UNL extension educator Emily Gratopp, MS.

So what can we do now to ease the healthcare gap that exists in Lincoln? Here’s a list of referral resources that currently exist for all individuals:

• The 211 helpline is a free service that refers callers to non-emergency health & human
  services in Nebraska, including housing assistance, clothing, food pantries/meal sites, shelters, counseling, health clinics, employment, financial assistance, and transportation. Access this resource by:
  • Call 2-1-1
  • Text 898211
  • Visit the website ne211.org
• MyLink is an app (and website) which provides a comprehensive list of resources available in the Lincoln community, including food, housing, health, disability, children and family, senior services, LGBTQ, refugee, and immigrant, legal, prison re-entry, financial, education, military and veteran, recreation and cultural centers and transportation. MyLink is available in multiple languages, including Arabic, English, Somali, Spanish and
  Vietnamese. Download at mylink.app.