By Emily Viverette
FaithHealthNC is pleased have a new, talented group of Fellows join the learning journey to better bridge faith and health in our communities. They met for the first time on January 12 and 13 in Winston-Salem. Each of them brings with them a passion for their communities.
This is the second cohort of fellows initially funded by a Kate B. Reynolds grant. They will meet across the state quarterly for 18-months. Our previous graduates, now known as Fellows for Life, are primary faculty resources for the group. The focus of the first meeting involved theory development and relationship building. The energy for transformation was evident within the group.
As with the previous cohort, FaithHealth Fellows will continue to be agents of transformation in their local communities, addressing the social determinants of health to reduce health disparities and lower the cost of healthcare. They will deepen their skills and knowledge as resource people to faith and place-based population health collaboration of diverse partners. They will expand their capacities to serve as liaisons, navigators, translators and trusted collaborators between health systems, faith communities and larger community.
Graylin Carlton graduated from Foothills Christian College with a Bachelor of Christian Ministry, and holds a Master of Ministry from Piedmont International University. He is an ordained Baptist minister, and pastored a Baptist church in Yadkin County for more than eight years. Most recently, he served as the evening chaplain and supervisor at the Winston-Salem Rescue Mission. Graylin completed a unit of Level I CPE and a 2-year CPE residency at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. He currently serves as Staff Chaplain – Transitional Care.
Anita Holmes, JD, MPH began working with the FaithHealth Division of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in May 2015 through an affiliation with FaithHealth Innovations, a subsidiary of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Much of her work focuses on the development and nurturing of FaithHealth partnerships with diverse individuals and organizations, including liaisons with General Baptist State Convention of NC and affiliated churches. She has over 30 years experience in health promotion, health disparities, community engagement, comprehensive health planning, and health care policy. Anita is a strong proponent of empowering individuals and communities to be active participants in determining their own destinies. She has developed several lay volunteer/natural helper models that have assisted in facilitating that process. Her work has exposed her to several different settings including academic medical center and community hospital, public health, nonprofit, faith-based, and legislative. She credits her successes to the collective work of many people joined together for a common cause.
Rev. Dianne Horton is an ordained and endorsed minister affiliated with the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. She currently serves as Assistant Pastor at New Bethel Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Dianne is a graduate of Salem College (B.A.) and Wake Forest University School of Divinity (M.Div.). Dianne is a Board Certified Chaplain by the Association of Professional Chaplains. Dianne serves as Manager, Chaplaincy and Clinical Ministries at WFBH-Lexington Medical Center. In addition to her chaplaincy work, Dianne also works closely with FaithHealth in Forsyth and Davidson County. Dianne is married to George, and they have two adult children, Jamaal and Escada.
Brooks Johnson’s passion for the care of souls along life’s journey was affirmed upon his first unit of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) in 2007 while a graduate student at Wake Forest University School of Divinity. Upon completion of a CPE residency at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and a degree in Anglican Studies at Virginia Theological Seminary he became ordained as a Deacon in the Episcopal Church. Currently he is a clinical chaplain at High Point Regional Health. From his deep-seated commitment to koinonia, Brooks continually strives for ways to support all staff in addition to his patient and family care. He also serves at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Greensboro. An avid fan of nature, he, his wife Catherine and children Clara Beth and Hill Boyce can be found hiking, cycling and running all over North Carolina.
Zack King currently coordinates community health initiatives through a coalition group called Catawba County Health Partners. I am a graduate of the University of South Carolina (BA) and the University of Georgia (MPH). His calling is in helping families, communities, and individuals turn to their own strengths in becoming healthier, happier, and whole. He is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Hickory and has worked in supporting health ministry teams and initiatives across denominations and types of churches.
Renee Rutherford is a registered nurse at Wilkes Regional Medical Center and has been filling the role as FaithHealth and readmissions coordinator since January 2016. Renee began her career in the medical field as a Medical Office Assistant in family practice. She obtained an associate degree in nursing and continued working in family practice for a year before making the move to Wilkes Regional Medical Center where she has served 14 years in various roles, from intermediate care and emergency care nursing, to home health and hospice, and administration. Renee grew up in a Christian home and was taught much about the love of God, but grew in knowledge and passion through her own personal relationship with Christ. Her primary goal is to help others by sharing God’s love and kindness, and making herself available to act as the hand and feet of Jesus.
Missy Stancil is a licensed professional counselor associate and serves as regional director for CareNet Counseling Central Region, an outpatient mental health agency serving a five-county area in central North Carolina. Missy is passionate about helping communities, and her interests (personal and professional) include health equity, rural mental health, women’s health, and the intersection of spirituality and sexuality. As a therapist, Missy specializes in working with adults who have experienced trauma, as well as serving LGBTQ communities. As a regional director, she focuses her work on collaborative community education and stigma reduction while supporting a terrific team of therapists. Missy holds a Master of Arts degree in Mental Health Counseling from Campbell University and a Bachelor’s degree in Human Geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed a residency in spiritually-integrated psychotherapy from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. When she’s not working, she enjoys snuggling with her hound dog, Maybe Lynn, traveling, being outside, and reading lots of books, journals, and articles about everything under the sun. And while she currently lives just two doors down from her amazing mom, she’s left pieces of her heart all over the world and hopes to never fully settle down.
