Verna Laboy

Verna Laboy and Annabelle Simmons both work with Live Well By Faith, a community health program that targets chronic disease among African Americans in Boone County.

Verna has run the program since it was established by the Columbia/Boone County health department in 2016. The program supports health ministries at 17 black churches in the area by providing health programming, training and resources for people in the congregation, and leaders within each church help run programming and data collection.

Annabelle Simmons is a health lifestyle coach at St. Luke United Methodist Church, and she speaks with Verna about how they address racial health disparities through the church community.