African Methodist Church, Alzeheimer’s Association Renew Strategic Partnership

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church) and the Alzheimer’s Association recently announced that they are renewing their nationwide partnership to raise more awareness about Alzheimer’s disease, particularly in African American communities.

The renewed collaboration is aimed at educating and engaging more than 2 million U.S.-based AME Church members in the fight against Alzheimer’s, for five more years.

The AME Church is the oldest and one of the largest historically African-American denominations in the United States. The church has more than 2.5 million members across five continents in 39 countries located in 20 Episcopal districts. More than 2 million members reside in the US across 13 Episcopal districts.

Notably, it remains one of the largest Methodist denominations in the world. The AME church has consistently advocated for the civil and human rights affecting individuals of African descent through social improvement, religious autonomy, and political engagement.

Similarly, the Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Its mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia – by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. The association’s vision is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.

Since the partnership began in 2019, more than 1,600 AME Church members have attended dementia education programs. In addition, more than 5,000 AME Church members have participated in Connectional Purple Sunday events, which provide AME members with disease-related information and care and support resources available through the Alzheimer’s Association.

Medical Director of AME Church International Health Commission, Dr. Miriam Burnett said It is their desire to create forums that educate while shining a light on the abundance of AME professionals who are trained and qualified to lead, guide and direct us on a wide variety of (holistic) health topics.

“We are grateful that we are positioned and excel in providing health education and promotion activities as well as potential services. As a result of this collaboration there would be expanded community outreach efforts; expanded awareness of support services for families affected by Alzheimer’s; expanded opportunities to promote and influence dementia related public policy; expanded awareness to increase knowledge of Alzheimer’s risks and symptoms; and expanded support for Alzheimer’s programming and research”, she said.

Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at Alzheimer’s Association, Dr. Carl Hill noted that diversity, equity and inclusion are fundamental to the pursuit of the association’s mission.

“Our work with the AME Church and other organizations that represent and advocate for underserved communities enables us to expand our outreach, providing more people with resources and support to address the Alzheimer’s and other dementia crises”, he added.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, older Black Americans are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than White Americans. Black Americans are also less likely to receive a timely diagnosis, with many receiving a diagnosis much later in the disease, when their medical needs are greater.