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Replication Guide |
Congregational Nurse Program
Mission
The mission is to help build capacity in more area congregations to more effectively reach out to seniors to reduce isolation and improve their health and well-being. Program Description The program encourages and supports the placement of congregational nurses in more area churches and synagogues to promote optimal health and wellness of body, mind and spirit. The congregational nurse brings a healing presence into the context of the faith tradition through a holistic approach. She visits those with health concerns conducting assessment and making referrals for services but does not diagnosis or treatment. She also serves as a health educator and advocate. Community Goals Met
Impact
Area congregations and their members to promote wellness in the congregation at large and to address those with health concerns or who are isolated.
Planning Timeline Preparation
Process and Outcomes
Choosing a program
The NORC project coordinator initially researched possibilities for outreach to seniors with health issues. The congregational nurse program was chosen because it operates through faith communities that already practice the ethic of reaching out to those in need as well as a volunteer base to support their efforts. Role of Faith Communities Network A Faith Communities Network, made up of representatives from each congregation in the community, was established to bring together representatives of congregations to discuss issues of common concern. Through these meetings as well as individual meetings with clergy, congregations were informed of the congregational nurse program and of the offer of NORC funding and staff support Expanding community capacity Follow-up calls were made to interested congregations. Presentations were made as requested to explain the program to leadership and other interested members of the congregations. When we began this effort, three congregations had parish nurses. We had designated funding to support eight congregations. We actually worked with three churches and three synagogues to guide them in adopting and implementing the program into their organizational structure. NORC offered seed money to implement the program, but congregations were responsible for financial sustainability beyond the first year. A Letter of Intent was sent to each congregation outlining the respective responsibilities of NORC and the participating congregation. Monthly reports from the nurse are required by our funders to monitor the activities of the nurse and to monitor how funds are being allocated. We also served as consultants to another county that wanted to adopt this program.
Issues encountered
The issue of liability of the program to the congregation was an obstacle to some congregations. One option was to connect a congregation with a health care foundation that directly hires the nurse and shoulders the liability . Finding the right nurse for each congregation was also a challenge due to the shortage of nurses and salary requirements. Multi-faith-based curriculum was written and taughtA training class that was multi-faith based was developed with NORC funding. The class was based on the curriculum that we purchased from the International Parish Nurse Resource Center, the accepted standard for this certification and included a variety of theological views to be more inclusive. The program Our goal was for each congregation to run its own program with a structure, guidelines, and resources in place to run efficiently and become sustainable. Setting clear expectations and boundaries for this new position was of utmost importance. Clarifying the role of the nurse and her relationship to clergy, supervisor, coordinator, volunteers, and the congregation was essential. We worked closely to guide each congregation to set up the program and to ensure that its goals are in line with those of the congregations as well as the intent of the grant monies. Each congregation designed their own program evaluation driven by their mission and goals. Ongoing resource support for these Congregational Nurses was offered through the Faith Community Nurse Network of the Twin Cities, the Congregational Nurse Resource Library, regional support group meetings, and NORC consultation as requested
Budget
Summary
The congregational nurse program was an effective way for NORC to have a profound and lasting impact on the community by building capacity to reach out to vulnerable seniors as well as others with health concerns. The funding that NORC provided encouraged congregations to begin the program. Through this process each congregation set up a structure to promote wellness and raise the consciousness of the congregation to the needs of their senior population. To ensure sustainability, each congregation was encouraged to seek permanent funding sources. By determining issues that the aging population is encountering, the congregational nurse may be instrumental in helping individuals access the services they need to age in place and possibly avoid entering a nursing home facility. The curriculum that NORC sponsored is now available to the general public through classes at United Theological Seminary. (See www.unitedseminary-mn.org Programs of Study / Continuing Education / Faith Community Nurse Training) Attachments