In 1992 Dr. Dan Hale, a psychology professor at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida began working with physicians from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to develop programs and materials that could be used to train volunteers from religious organizations to coordinate health programs. Volunteers were taught how to organize programs on a wide range of conditions and medical issues, including depression, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, heart disease, hypertension, medication management, advance directives, and accident prevention. Hospitals and medical professionals also participated, working in collaboration with volunteers to conduct health education programs, screenings, and preventive interventions in their congregations.

Interest in these programs far exceeded expectations. The workshops attracted volunteers eager to learn more about important medical issues and how they could organize health programs for members of their congregations and, in many cases, for the community at large. And when these programs were offered, large numbers of people came to listen and receive assistance. Word of these programs spread. More congregations became involved, and so did more hospitals and health care professionals. It was clear that these programs were meeting an important need.

Critical to the success of these programs was the help and support of Bill O'Neill and his wife Julie of Daytona Beach. Long-time supporters of both religious and medical institutions, they recognized the tremendous life-giving potential of a program that harnessed the energies of committed members of faith communities and coupled that energy with the information and resources provided by health care professionals. In 2003, the O'Neills offered to established a charitable foundation to provide ongoing support for this work. The individuals who had been directly involved in developing these faith-health partnerships and who were asked to organize this foundation felt that it should be named in their honor - the O'Neill Foundation for Community Health.