Abstract
A church-clinic model of the neighborhood health center, developed initially in a low-income area, has now been established over the past three years in middle- and upper-income areas. The church-clinics, called Wholistic Health Centers, are primary care medical clinics located in church buildings that utilize an interdisciplinary team in the planning for patient treatment and health education. The project integrates primary medical care with pastoral counseling services. Evaluation of the two clinics in middle-to-upper-income areas indicates that the patients are middle to upper class, well educated, and are not medically disenfranchised; their presenting problems are only slightly more often medical (58%) than psychosocial (42%).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Petersdorf, R. G., “Internal Medicine and Family Practice: Controversies, Conflicts, and Compromise,”New Eng. J. Med., 1975,293, 326–332. Boardman, D. W., “Annual Discourse—The Dollars and Sense of Medical Care and Health Services: Relation,”loc. cit., 1974,291, 497–502. McNerney, W. J., “Health Care Reforms—The Myths and Realities: The Tenth Bronfman Lecture,”Am. J. Public Health, 1971,61, 222–232.
Dans, P. E., and Johnson, S., “Politics in the Development of a Migrant Health Center: A Pilgrim's Progress from Idealism to Pragmatism,”New Eng. J. Med., 1975,292, 890–895.
Rogers, D. E., and Heyseel, R. M., “One Medical School's Involvement in New Health Care Delivery Models: Its Problems and Its Pleasures,”Arch. Intern. Med., 1971,127, 57–64.
Macht, L. B., “Neighborhood Health Centers—Perspectives on Opportunity for Comprehensive Ambulatory Health Care,”New Engl. J. Med., 1975,292, 591–592.
Westberg, G. E., “Contextual Teaching of Pastoral Care in a Neighborhood Church-Clinic.” InExplorations in Ministry. New York, IDOC-North America, 1971; “Can the Clergy Help Overworked Physicians? Experience with an Experimental Church Clinic,”Postgrad. Med., 1973,53, 165–169. Holinger, P. C., and Westberg, G. E., “The Parish Pastor's Finest Hour-Revisited,”J. Religion and Health, 1975,14, 14–21. Tubesing, D. A.; Holinger, P. C.; Westberg, G. E.; and Lichter, E. A., “The Wholistic Health Center Project: An Action-Research Model for Providing Preventive, Whole-Person Health Care at the Primary Level,”Med. Care, 1977,15, 217–227.
Westberg, “Contextual Teaching of Pastoral Care in a Neighborhood Church-Clinic” and “Can the Clergy Help Overworked Physicians?”op. cit.In.
—, “Contextual Teaching of Pastoral Care in a Neighborhood Church-Clinic,”op. cit.In.
Selye, H.,The Stress of Life. New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1956. Holmes, T. H., and Rahe, R. H., “The Social Readjustment Rating Scale,”J. Psychiatric Research, 1967,11, 213–218. Wyler, A. R.; Masuda, M.; and Holmes, T. H., “Magnitude of Life Events and Seriousness of Illness,”Psychosomatic Med., 1971,33, 115–122. Grinker, R. R.,Psychosomatic Concepts (rev. ed.). New York, Jason Aronson, 1973. Solomon, G. F.; Amkraut, A. A.; and Kasper, P., “Immunity, Emotions, and Stress,”Ann. Clinical Research, 1974,6, 313–322.
Westberg, “Contextual Teaching of Pastoral Care in a Neighborhood Church-Clinic” and “Can the Clergy Help Overworked Physicians?”op. cit.In ; Holinger, P. C., and Westberg, G. E., “The Parish Pastor's Finest Hour-Revisited,”J. Religion and Health, 1975,14, 14–21.
Bureau of the Census, “U. S. Census of Population, Number of Inhabitants: Illinois,” Final Report Pc (1)-A15, Table 6, and U. S. Census of Population and Housing, Fourth Count Population Summary Tapes, Tabulations 75 and 84.
Ibid. Bureau of the Census, “U. S. Census of Population, Number of Inhabitants: Illinois,” Final Report Pc (1)-A15, Table 6, and U. S. Census of Population and Housing, Fourth Count Population Summary Tapes, Tabulations 75 and 84.
Tubesing, Holinger, Westberg, and Lichter,op. cit..
Westberg, “Contextual Teaching of Pastoral Care in a Neighborhood Church-Clinic” and “Can the Clergy Help Overworked Physicians?”op. cit.In ; Holinger and Westberg,op. cit. Holinger, P. C., and Westberg, G. E., “The Parish Pastor's Finest Hour-Revisited,”J. Religion and Health, 1975,14, 14–21; Peterson, W. M.; Tubesing, D. A.; and Tubesing, N. L.,The Process of Engagement: The Initial Health Planning Conference—An Interdisciplinary Approach to Whole Person Health Care. Chicago, Wholistic Health Centers, Inc., 1976.
Peterson, Tubesing, and Tubesing,op. cit..
Tubesing, D. A., and Strosahl, S. G.,Survey Research Report. Chicago, Wholistic Health Centers, Inc., 1976.
Ibid.; and Tubesing, D. A.,Wholistic Health: A Whole Person Approach to Primary Health Care. New York, Human Sciences Press, 1978.
Ibid..
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This work was conducted in part when Dr. Holinger was at the Institute for Psychosomatic and Psychiatric Research and Training, Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
He is also the author ofWholistic Health.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Rev. Granger E. Westberg, D.D., Clinical Professor, and Edward A. Lichter, Professor and Chairman, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Illinois at the Medical Center, Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, in the preparation of this report.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Holinger, P.C., Tubesing, D.A. Models of health and wholeness. J Relig Health 18, 203–212 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01540482
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01540482