We are St. Agnes Health
Your Optimal Health is Our Priority
Our Core Values
At the core of St. Agnes Health, we hold three primary values: the integrity to always do what is best for the patient. Educate; an informed patient is more likely to take an active role in their health and have a higher quality of life. Everything we do serves the purpose of fostering an environment for healthy living. We are committed to continuing to learn, grow and provide the most effective services possible.
Integrity
Hippocrates wrote the original Hippocratic Oath. He considered ethical behavior the foremost characteristic of a physician. Our highest priority is the well-being of every patient and client.
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Education
It is only when we have access to the truth can we make an informed decision. We strive to distribute informative health material to as wide an audience as possible.
Health
Health is more than the absence of disease. Under the right circumstances humans can be mentally acute and physically active into their 100's. We are dedicated to providing accurate and complete information about every aspect of a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. Visit our blog for articles and videos.
Coming in October!
Optimal Health
Optimal health can be achieved at almost any age. It is the growth into a healthy relationship with ourselves and is then reflected outward. The words are simple, but it is a lifelong pursuit. Everything we do is a relationship with the thing we are doing. Which means we hold the key and the key is the emotional relationship we have with ourselves. But all aspects of our lives interact, intertwine and overlap to make a complex individual. No one aspect develops individually and therefore cannot be isolated from the rest of who we are.
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Perspective: The relationship we have with ourselves
Our mental chatter is both a reflection of our emotions as well as a catalyst for hormone release that creates a feedback loop of reinforcement. Research shows that being involved in an organization or volunteering can increase satisfaction. Setting time aside to unwind or nurture yourself is not indulgent, it’s self-care. Having purpose in your life, something that is meaningful fosters an optimistic perspective.
Nutrition: What we feed our bodies
The purpose of eating is to provide the body with nourishment. Why plant based and whole foods? They are diverse and nutrient dense. The further a food source is away from its original state the fewer nutrients it contains and while proving less benefit, it will contain other ingredients that diminish health. Eating only until 80% full keeps us from overeating. Many people overlook the importance of water, hydration also nourishes the body at the cellular level.
Connections: The relationship we have with others
Healthy relationships nurture us on an emotional level. Finding our tribe isn’t always easy. It may be family, a partner and/or close friends. The more connections we have, the better. Social connections deepen our sense of purpose and belonging. Honoring this need by choosing to take the time to nurture our relationships, being present with those we care about contributes to a sense of being connected to something larger.
Exercise: How we move our bodies
Engage in physical activities that you enjoy. Do it often! All day long if possible. If you enjoy it the likelihood of being consistent greatly increases. You don’t have to go to the gym. There are group sports, you can walk, garden, hike in nature, ride a bike. Just keep moving. Although it is always important, as we age maintaining dexterity, especially of fingers and hips becomes increasingly important.
Our Legacy
Your Optimal Health is our Priority
At a convention in 1895, Mrs. Sara Hunter, spoke of the necessity of creating a hospital for black people. Mr. I. L. Collins was moved by her words and become the first donor. The hospital was named after his late wife, Agnes. Saint Agnes Hospital officially opened its doors in October 1896.” In 1905 one of several renovations was supervised by Vice-Principal Reverend Henry Beard Delany: NC’s first Black Episcopal bishop. Known as "the Healing Place", for almost half a century it would function as the only hospital and medical training school for Black doctors and nurses in the Southeast.
St. Agnes Hospital Nurses & Doctors
In 1942 Saint Augustine’s University gave the institution over to an independent St. Agnes board in hopes of soliciting government funding but soon after, the Raleigh City Council announced a new ruling that public money could not be given to private institutions. The Board kept the hospital going until desegregation in 1961 which allowed for Black patients and medical staff to move to the Wake Medical Center.
It is estimated that over 500 nurses were trained at Saint Agnes Hospital. During the 26 years of their intern program, 80 physicians were trained. Doctors at Saint Agnes were considered to be some of the most skilled physicians in the city, including; Dr. Lawson Andrew Scruggs. The school’s first Black physician and Leonard Medical School valedictorian. It was approved for Historic Landmark status in 1979. It serves as an educational resource and a source of inspiration. (abridged and altered). Full article: https://raltoday.6amcity.com/saint-agnes-hospital-raleigh-nc
Celebrating Our History
In memorial to the legacy of perseverance, exemplary fortitude, the commitment to community and education, St. Agnes Health is proud to walk in the steps of those that came before us. St. Agnes Health is a safe and inclusive environment.
As a child, I dreamed of being a doctor. As I grew, I had other interests but always came back to medicine. By my teens I was working out and learning about nutrition. In undergrad I decided against medical school because I understood that prescribing drugs to feel better isn’t the same as actually being better. I strongly considered finishing my bachelors in nutrition but once again found the curriculum based on illness and not health.
I moved to New York City to study and complete a MS in Chinese Medicine. I would need to work. What started out as a financial decision turned into an Associates in Massage Therapy that kept me in the health field and offered invaluable hands-on experience. Right before graduating, the time had come and now doctorate degrees in Chinese Medicine not only were available but was starting to be the benchmark. I was so excited! I could hold a doctorate in health care and be true to myself. So, I gave up the idea of a degree in nutrition.
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Then COVID happened. It had a profound effect on my life; as I'm sure it did yours. COVID was the catalyst for me realizing that in order to have a better outcome, health education needed improving. With the constant barrage of information, nothing was geared towards self-empowerment. The media’s message consisted of pre-existing conditions and risk factors. Nothing on how to support and strengthen a healthy immune system. I want to focus on improving health; not managing illness and especially not through fear. That doesn’t mean looking through rose-colored glasses but tangible, scientific facts that nurture the person where they are and moves towards where they want to be. Nutrition at the master’s level is based in bio- and organic chemistry. This degree supports individual patient centered care. My vision is to get this second masters of science.
Dr. Alisa Evelyn
Director of St. Agnes Health