Parish nurse program provides holistic approach to health |
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Written by CARY ASHBY, Special to the Chronicle
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Friday, 01 August 2008 01:00 |
SYLVANIA—The parish nurse program at Sylvania St. Joseph is giving witness to Jesus’ healing mission to individuals, families and the community.
As reflected in its mission statement, the program ìbelieves in the holistic nature of health and believes that physical wellness is intimately connected with spiritual and emotional well-being.î
In 1995, a group of parishioners formed a health ministry group and approached Father Richard Wurzel, the pastor at the time, about starting a parish nurse program. The group formed a health cabinet — an advisory board to the parish nurse, wrote a constitution for the cabinet and hired Sylvania Franciscan Sister Dominica Niedbala as the first parish nurse.
Sr. Niedbala served part-time from Aug. 1, 1995, until June 1998. Laurie Neary has been the parish nurse since 1999.
"The goals of the parish nurse program are health education, volunteerism, health counseling and community resource referral," Ms. Neary says. "The mission and goals give direction to the parish nurse ministry. The constitution gives purpose and function for the health cabinet board."
Community resource referral involves using community agencies and organizations to collaborate in meeting health needs.
A new program presented this year at St. Joseph by the parish nurse ministry is ìDivorce Care for Kidsî for ages 5 to 12. The national, Christian-based program meets once a week for 13 weeks and helps children deal with divorce-related issues and heal from the hurt caused by the separation or divorce of their parents.
"We ran it once in the spring and we’ll run it again in the winter," says Ms. Neary.
The children do role-playing, watch DVDs and listen to CDs and stories about issues most on their minds such as splitting households and the anger they feel. The program helps children learn how God’s love for them can strengthen them and bring back peace and joy during a devastating time.
"There’s a theme every time we get together. The DVD goes along with the theme of the session," Ms. Neary says.
The parish nurse ministry is not without its obstacles.
"The most challenging issue is reaching the parishioners who need the help. The only means to get the word out about the help and programs available is through the bulletin and word of mouth. Very often the people who need the help aren’t attending church or don’t read the bulletin," Ms. Neary says.
In those scenarios, the parish nurse uses word-of-mouth to reach people.
"I call all of our parishioners after they have been discharged from the hospital to check on them. We have a list of homebound parishioners, although we know that it isn’t complete. St. Joseph has eucharistic ministers who take Communion to the home so they can make referrals to me," Ms. Neary says.
She believes the most fulfilling part of the program is allowing the church to be there for people in their time of need.
"The church is not just for liturgies and social events, but can be a real resource for parishioners. The number of programs started and still being offered are many. The parish nurse continues to oversee the programs, but the parishioner volunteers really have taken ownership of them," Ms. Neary says.
On a daily basis, the parish nurse is the only person involved.
"But the health cabinet, consisting of members who are parishioners, contributes to the ministry by offering assistance in their areas of expertise and the parishioners who are volunteers for the various ministries," Ms. Neary says.
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Last Updated on Friday, 07 November 2008 09:05 |
