Columnist Dr. Cheryl Christy

Author's note: This column is intended for educational purposes only. It aims to highlight gaps in health knowledge, provide support and empower organizations to guide their members in creating effective health and wellness programs.

Leadership is not a title — it is the force that determines whether people can access, understand or trust their own health care system.

We do not have a shortage of information — we have a shortage of connection between leadership decisions and public understanding. Leaders determine the public’s ability to access high-quality, safe health care, to understand health care or health literacy and to engage with the health care system. This goes far beyond hospital CEOs and administrators, government and public health officials. We can broaden this scope to include faith and civic leaders as well as all those in smaller but influential roles inside and outside the health care system. Nurses, for example, are individual “leaders” even though we work as a team. As are those who lead health committees within churches and parishes.

When leadership is absent, inconsistent or self-serving, the effects show up not in the headlines but in the daily lives of people who rely on leaders to improve health literacy, provide access to quality, safe health care and offer support in times of need. When leadership fails, individuals are forced to navigate complex health systems alone and many lack the knowledge, ability or resources. This small but critical gap is where leaders miss the mark — believing that their position makes the difference but failing to act when it could have mattered.

WHEN LEADERSHIP IS STRONG

• Systems are well designed with less fragmentation of care.
• Communication is clear and consistent.
• Quality resources are easily accessible.
• Prevention and wellness are prioritized.
• Community trust is built so people feel supported.

THE HIDDEN HEALTH IMPACT

• Chronic stress navigating health systems alone.
• Worsening health outcomes and higher costs.
• Poor health decisions lead to chronic disease.
• Increased feelings of loneliness and isolation.

HOW OUR LOCAL AREA IS AFFECTED

With rapid growth, health systems are stretched, seasonal population surges strain ERs and urgent care facilities, new residents are unfamiliar with local resources and while community health assessments exist, they are underused by faith and civic organizations. We do not have a shortage of information — we have a shortage of connection between leaders and the people they serve.

THE CHALLENGE OF LEADERSHIP ROLES IN FAITH & CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS

Many people step into leadership roles with good intentions and a desire to serve. But good intentions alone do not automatically translate into good outcomes. Leaders can lose sight in a few predictable ways. Proximity to power replaces proximity to people. This stems from isolation instead of lived experience. They no longer see the front line – they read reports about it. Familiarity breeds false certainty. This is especially true for those who gravitate to leadership roles within an organization and keep circling back, never letting others, especially new people, take over. They often say they like to “keep busy,” but the truth is they cannot give up feeling needed. They have been doing this for so long that they believe they know the problem, the people and the solution. But nothing changes. Busyness replaces awareness and dulls self-reflection.

Leaders within organizations can position themselves as a bridge to meeting community health needs by choosing to:

• Provide up-to-date resources to their members.
• Host group health education forums regularly.
• Create “circles of care” that offer genuine support and a safety net to those who are struggling beyond “rides or food delivery.”
• Develop trust by showing genuine care, active listening and open communication.
• Establish a health and wellness ministry or committee, led by knowledgeable volunteers from within the church, parish or organization, to oversee, educate, inform and support the membership on timely health topics.

Leaders are most often blinded not by what they do not know, but by what they stop being willing to see.

Dr. Cheryl Christy is a Baldwin County resident and registered nurse with nearly 30 years of experience. She holds master's degrees in nursing education and nursing practice and a doctorate in nursing practice. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Phi Pi Chapter, a certified lay counselor and the author of "Voices for Healthcare," a health care blog.

Read her previous column titled "Metabolic health: The cornerstone of wellness" on www.GulfCoastMedia.com.