Aurora Parish Nurse Program partners with local faith communities to
encourage and support ministries of health and healing across the life
span by employing a holistic approach to care integrating spiritual,
emotional and physical health in the safe, familiar and comfortable
environment of a person’s faith community. Aurora Parish Nurse
Program expands the traditional model of the hospital as the primary place
of healthcare and healing by creating access points within faith
communities to help empower congregations to provide education, programs
and services that address the spiritual, mental and physical health of its
members
What
is a parish nurse?
A parish nurse is a registered nurse with advanced education in
combining the spiritual, mental and physical care of individuals and
congregations. Working in partnership with the pastoral staff and members
of the congregation, the parish nurse builds bridges between congregations
and health providers to assist and empower individuals to become active
partners in the management of their personal health resources. This
is accomplished through the provision of professional, onsite medical and
health evaluations, health care educational programming, navigational
assistance, and individual case management.
The parish nurse role encompasses the following functions:
Integrator of faith and health
Health educator
Health counselor
Referral source and advocate
Program facilitator and leader
What do Parish Nurses do?
Parish nurses identify and promote opportunities to enhance the
relationship of faith and health within the context of the values, beliefs
and practices of the faith community. They nurture the client's faith
system and practices that enhance health, such as forgiveness, meditation
and prayer. By embedding services within the community at access
points where individuals have a trusting relationship, parish nurses
provide access to professional health services with special attention to
preventative health screenings, monitoring chronic conditions, and
increased health education to keep overall health care costs low.
Parish nurses are health educators, providing members with information
on health conditions, treatments and prevention. This includes the
inter-relationship of one's faith, body and mind. Education is offered for
individuals and groups on topics identified and requested by the
congregation. Examples of care include but are not limited to
colorectal cancer education, screening and referral; memory loss
assessment and education; advance care planning education and assistance;
child safety and parenting education; senior health and caregiver issues;
depression education; heart disease education; and tobacco use assessment,
education and cessation support.
Parish nurses are health counselors who listen and respond to health
concerns of individuals and their families. Concerns such as medications,
blood pressure, nutrition, weight control and end-of-life issues are
covered. Parish nurses do not duplicate services of other health
professionals and do not do such things as giving injections or providing
wound care.
Parish nurses are a referral source for health services. They link the
member's needs with resources in the community and assist them in
accessing these services. Parish nurses offer a unique
relationship-based nursing care that serves as a point of access to health
care for many people who would otherwise lack such access
Parish nurses are advocates for members who have difficulty in
receiving adequate health services. They may accompany individuals to
hospitals and visits to medical professionals, meet with families to plan
care of individual or to counsel members; as well as conduct home,
hospital, and nursing home visits to monitor health status, provide
emotional support, encourage compliance with medical treatment, and
recommend community services. As program facilitator and leader, they
assist congregations in mobilizing the gifts, talents and energies of its
members to contribute to the health and healing mission of the
congregation.
Volunteers are organized and trained to support in visitation, support
groups, program planning and implementation.
How
can I support the Parish Nurse Program?
Last year, the Parish Nurse Program provided over 11,000 individuals
health screenings, assisted 558 individuals with completing Advanced
Directives, provided 987 referrals to community or health care services
and nearly 19,000 people participated in group education activities.
Donations of any size will directly support the Parish Nurse Program to
provide services including but not limited to individual case management;
health education and support group assistance to individuals struggling
with chronic conditions; preventive health screenings; regularly scheduled
BP screenings; and flu and pneumonia vaccines.
For more information on the Parish Nurse Program and its scope of
services, please contact Sue Schaus,
Manager of Parish Nurse Program at 414-219-7401.
What
is a parish nurse?