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Parish Nurse
By Julie Watts, RN, MN I have been a Parish Nurse with RCC and Trinity Ecumenical Parish for 6 1/2 years . With the growing number of new faces I thought I would review my role and the role of the Health Cabinet. Parish nursing is an emerging area of specialized professional nursing practice where the nurse serves as an integrator of faith and health. The role holds the spiritual dimension as central in the practice of nursing; encompassing physical, psychological, and social dimensions of nursing practice. The historic roots of the role are intertwined with those of deaconesses and other religious sisters who worked in parishes promoting health from a whole person perspective. The recent development of the role came about as a result of Reverend Granger Westberg and Wholistic Health Centers in the 1970's. Parish nursing services are designed to build on and strengthen capacities of individuals, families, and congregations to understand and care for one another in light of their relationship to God, faith traditions, themselves, and the broader society. The goals of the Parish Nurse Program are to improve the health of the church and community; encourage people to adopt a view of health that encompasses the interplay of lifestyle, attitudes, physical well-being, and faith; establish health and healing as an explicit part of church activities; and, become good stewards of health care resources through the appropriate use of health resources. The Health Cabinet is the advisory group for the Parish Nurse Program which helps to plan programs and advise on the health ministry at both RCC and Trinity Ecumenical Parish. Members of the Health Cabinet from RCC include Chris Barrett, Betty Murphy, Micki Koch, Floyd Strelow, Jack Kuhn and Barbara Brush. Barbara was on the original team that established the role at RCC. We also have a retired Parish Nurse in the church, Marion Wheaton. Marion was on the original Health Cabinet and helped to educate members at both churches about the role. I have office hours at RCC on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I am available before and after Mass on the last Saturday of the month for blood pressure checks and health consultations. |
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Resurrection Catholic Church 15353 Moneta Rd., Moneta, VA 24121 Phone: 540.297.5530 / Fax: 540.297.6316 E-mail: info@resurrectioncatholic.org © Copyright 2003 by resurrectioncatholic.org |
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