Pandemic-related stress over the last 2 ½ years has led to increases in alcohol consumption and unusually high numbers of alcohol-related emergency room visits and deaths.
As noted in a Fort Worth Report article published in July, Texas Health emergency rooms and hospitals saw almost as many people die from an alcohol-related condition in the first quarter of 2022 as in the entirety of 2021. It was surmised that those deaths were related to behavioral changes with alcohol during the pandemic.
As a faith-based, nonprofit health system, it is our social responsibility to improve the welfare of our communities through outreach. Bringing together our Behavioral Health and Faith & Spirituality Integration teams, Texas Health developed the Pastoral Care virtual seminar series, which delivers tools and resources to faith leaders to use in support of their congregations.
The first seminar was presented on May 12, 2022 and was designed to equip leaders in faith-based groups around North Texas to screen people who might be struggling with alcohol or other substances. Stripping away the stigma can help faith leaders engage in genuine conversations that can lead to treatment and a path to recovery.
Earlier identification of people struggling with alcohol misuse can help faith leaders guide them to resources to receive care, helping those affected avoid a medical crisis and regain control of their life.
Nearly 50 people, many of them clergy and caregivers across North Texas, participated in the May seminar, the first of its kind since the pandemic started.
Bruce Pratt, pastor at Flower Mound Community Church, felt compelled to join the seminar. He has experienced alcoholism in his own family, he said, and has encountered congregation members whose spouses are struggling.
Pratt said he now includes discussions around alcohol misuse in various group settings.
“We talk about it in our prayer meetings, and I bring it up in small group Bible studies just to let people know it hasn’t gone away and that it’s actually more serious,” Pratt said. “Many people know somebody who’s struggling with alcohol addiction. I encourage them to engage with them or come to me or encourage them to see a family physician.”
Elizabeth Watson-Martin, Texas Health’s vice president of Faith & Spirituality Integration, said results from Texas Health’s Community Health Ministry survey from faith leaders across our system’s 16-county service area reveal that behavioral health needs top the list for these congregations.
Texas Health plans virtual education sessions for faith community leaders at least once a quarter, with the next session – Pastoral Care for Suicide Risk/Prevention – scheduled on Sept. 15. Teen suicides increased in many states during the pandemic.
Pratt said he will attend the upcoming seminar and will encourage other faith leaders to participate.
“Adolescent suicide is tragic, and most of us don’t know how to handle it, especially on the front side in terms of how to engage a young person,” Pratt said. “In seminary school, we were not taught about suicide prevention.”
We encourage you to talk to your community faith leaders about this program. They can RSVP for our upcoming virtual seminar by calling 1-877-THR-WELL.