Public health advocate Pernessa Seele, founder and CEO of The Balm In Gilead —a nonprofit organization that spearheads safe community activism initiatives to proactively address infectious life-threatening conditions like Ebola, Hepatitis C (HCV) and HIV/AIDS (with offices in America and Africa), is available to discuss and detail various reasons why faith communities and niche populations may be at a higher risk for these deadly health concerns—and why faith institutions specifically have a unique, yet vastly unmet, obligation to play a more direct, responsible and mobilized role to proactively address and educate their respective constituencies about Ebola, HCV, HIV/AIDS and other pressing public health issues. 

“Due to an engrained culture, staunch belief system, and adherence to ‘traditional healing’ practices, far too many faith-driven individuals and niche culture populations turn a deaf ear to scientific approaches for understanding, avoiding and treating Ebola, HCV and other serious medical conditions,” notes Seele, who has worked with three U.S. presidential administrations on important health issues. “Because of this, many in various faith communities are not as aware, educated or diligent about these serious public health threats. Often, even when they are aware, they erroneously view both the condition and medical-based treatment with a spiritual mentality—some on the extreme side even regarding the conditions as a ‘curse’ and medical science as hermetics. These are among the reasons why faith institutions in particular, which regularly serve their communities at the front-line, have a unique opportunity and responsibility to better advise, educate and motivate individuals to avoid and screen for serious health conditions and seek proper medical care when needed.”

Toward this end, Ebola, HCV and HIV/AIDS will be topics of discussion at the upcomingHealthy Churches 2020 Conference to be held in North Carolina his November 13-15—an event Seele founded and oversees to directly address how faith-based communities, for their part, can play a more significant front-line role in addressing life-threatening diseases like Ebola, HCV and others. Through this large-scale industry event, and also grassroots Town Hall Meeting forums that Seele hosts in cities across the United States, she is working tirelessly to educate regional populations on the risks and realities of life threatening diseases while concurrently helping faith-based organizations better achieve their community health-related goals.

“Strong intervention by faith institutions is essential, not only for awareness and education, but to formulate a concerted action plan and execute tactical training programs that will help reduce the spread of Ebola, HCV, HIV/AIDS and other deadly diseases,” Seele says. “Indeed, faith institutions can play an integral role as safe community centers that proffer health education and disease prevention. In this capacity, faith structures can utilize their existing span of influence to reach into every urban and rural center to facilitate comprehensive health services.”

About Pernessa Seele
Pernessa C. Seele is founder and CEO of The Balm In Gilead is a 501(c) (3), a not-for-profit non-governmental organization (NGO) whose primary mission is to prevent diseases and to improve the health of individuals by building the capacity of faith and other communities to address life-threatening issues, including HCV, HIV/AIDS, obesity, cervical cancer and sexual violence, in areas of health education and service program design, implementation and evaluation. Now in its 25th year, Seele’s The Balm In Gilead operates out of both Richmond, Virginia in the U.S. and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, providing technical support to over 10,000 institutions.

Seele has worked with three U.S. presidential administrations on important health issues. She is known for her extraordinary vision and ability to create national and global partnerships among leaders of various cultures and religious doctrines in areas of health promotion and disease prevention.  Seele is the recipient of numerous citations and honors including being featured on the cover of TIME magazine in 2006 as One of the Most Influential Persons In the World. Ebony Magazine selected Dr. Seele as one of their Power 150; Essence Magazine has honored her with numerous features. In its 35th Anniversary issue, she was named one of the 35 Most Beautiful And Remarkable Women In The World; In May 2010, Dr. Seele was selected as 21 Leaders of the 21^stCentury of Women E-News in New York City.

Seele is a licensed minister; an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; and a life-time member of The National Council of Negro Women. She received a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science from Clark Atlanta University in 1976 & 1979 respectively, and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from the College of New Rochelle, NY in 2007. She is a native of Lincolnville, SC.
Learn more online at www.BalmInGilead.org.