Healing Our Minds Bodies and Families MICAH GRIFFIN: Greetings. My name is Michael Griffin. I’m a Ph.D. in Health Services Candidate and a 2015 Walden University Scholar of Change.
Research supports the need for focus initiatives, targeting the minority population. And as a scholar-practitioner and community organizer, I strive to provide solutions that encourage healthy behaviors, promote academic advancement, and support positive fatherly involvement. These three components can have a dramatic impact on the overall wellness of an individual. That’s why, in 2014, I combined my desire to make a difference and my studies in community health to start to Heal Our People Incorporated, a nonprofit organization designed to improve the overall wellness of underserved minorities. Heal Our People has three campaigns. They seek to address the dimensions of wellness by promoting self-sustaining behaviors and teaching life skills. The Heal Our Minds campaign hosts educational workshops and college discussion panels where we’ve successively mentored over 100 first-generation college students. The Heal Our Bodies campaign is focused on promoting positive health behaviors. We’ll partnership with the YMCA. We have hosted a minority men’s health fair, which has featured nutrition experts, mental health providers, and exercise professionals. The Heal Our Families campaign encourages positive fatherly involvement. We hosted an annual men’s day luncheon to recognize the dedication and commitment of several fathers from the community. Through my work as a faculty member at a historically black college, I serve as a coordinator for a grant-funded health maintenance program that provides all freshmen with health screenings and access to a campus-based certified health coach. My Ph.D. courses have taught me the value of being collaborative in developing healthy initiatives. And through this partnership, we have successfully screened over 400 students, as we work to promote and influence healthy behaviors among young African-Americans. Through my studies at Walden University, and my desire to effect positive social change, I have successfully developed key initiatives and improved the lives of people in my community. And I continuously seek to inspire young students to achieve greatness by teaching them that health is wealth. 1Healing Our Minds, Bodies, and Families Healing Our Minds, Bodies, and Families Content Attribution Griffin, M. (Producer). (2015). Healing our Minds, Bodies, and Families [Video]. 2015 Walden University
