WC Alum Discusses New Book on Mental Illness, Healthcare, and Faith

CHESTERTOWN, MD—The intersection of faith, mental illness, and healthcare will be the subject of a talk at Washington College on February 19, 2020 when 2007 graduate David Finnegan-Hosey returns to his alma mater to speak about his latest book, Grace Is a Preexisting Condition: Faith, Systems, and Mental Healthcare. Emerging from his experience of living with a diagnosis deemed as a preexisting condition by insurance companies, the book explores the theological and spiritual dimensions of our public discourse around mental healthcare and mental illness.

The free public talk at 7 p.m. in Hynson Lounge is sponsored by the Goldstein Program’s Young Alumni series.

Finnegan-Hosey, who majored in international studies with a minor in philosophy, serves as the college chaplain and director of campus ministries at Barton College in Wilson, N.C., having previously worked with campus ministries at Georgetown University, American University, and the University of Hawaii. He holds a master’s in divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary and a unit of clinical pastoral education from the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. He is certified by Mental Health First Aid USA to provide initial help to people experiencing depression, anxiety, psychosis, and substance use disorders.

In 2011, Finnegan-Hosey was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a series of psychiatric hospitalizations. He now speaks and writes about the intersections among mental illness, mental health, and faith. He is the author of Christ on the Psych Ward (Church Publishing, 2018), and he blogs at Foolish Hosey. Profits from the pre-order of Grace is a Preexisting Condition will donated to RIP Medical Debt, which works to abolish unpaid medical debt.

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