Nurses boost parish health

Several parishes have either established ministries or are in the process of setting them up, including Assumption/St. Paul, Mechanicville; St. Ambrose and Our Lady of the Assumption, Latham; Immaculate Conception, Hoosick Falls; Our Lady of Victory, Troy; St. Jude's, Wynantskill; St. Edward's, Clifton Park; St. Peter's, Saratoga Springs; and St. Michael's, Cohoes.

According to Fran Montenegro, parish nurse coordinator for Seton Health in Troy (which sponsors the parish nurse ministry), "This is a lay ministry designed to promote health and wellness with the values, beliefs and practices of local faith communities. The ministry encourages an individual's physical, spiritual and psychosocial well being in the context of his or her relationship with God, family, neighbor and healthcare provider."

Healing place

Ms. Montenegro explained that the program assists faith communities in establishing and maintaining an effective healing ministry by acting as educator, mentor and resource.

In their agreement with Seton Health, each parish provides a staff position for the nurse. The nurse meets with the pastor on a regular basis (Seton Health recommends weekly) and is readily available to parishioners. Ms. Montenegro noted that Seton considers the nurse a volunteer, but she is free to negotiate salary with the parish.

Call and response

She also stressed that the nurses do not perform any invasive procedures (such as starting intravenous lines) and that the ministry is limited to patient support and educational programs. The program does not interfere with home health agencies or other independent nursing groups.

Getting started

Father McTavey's vision for his parish was to directly meet the needs of the people in Cohoes.

"Ours is a city parish and has a large number of elderly parishioners. It was with this in mind that we established our nursing ministry back in 1989," he told The Evangelist.

His hope was that by having a nurse on staff, the parish would be able to do hospital discharge follow-up with elderly parishioners and be sure they were properly taking their prescribed medication. Additionally, he wanted the parish to be able to assist these people with referrals to community agencies or nursing homes, if the need arose.

Helping hand

At St. Ambrose parish, the need was different. As a suburban community, the parishioners there found that they had to first get to know people and establish a relationship of trust with them before they could begin to provide services. They learned that the best way to respond was on an individual basis.

"No one day is ever the same, here," said Nancy Acemoglu, RN, who has been on staff at the Latham parish for the past 12 years. "We just assessed each person's need as they came to us and tried to work with them. We continue to do that today. One day, it might be a homeless person looking for a place to spend the night. The next day, it might be helping the parents of newborn twins obtain food and medical care.

"We have found that being there for the people, when their need is present, allows us to share in their personal life, their pain and suffering," she said. "This is where the healing happens."

Growth

Immaculate Conception in Hoosick Falls is one such parish. The nurse on staff there is Ms. Pat Hayes.

"Our program began three years ago, due to the interest of our pastor, Rev. Philip Cioppa," she said. "We are a rural parish and our program encompasses the entire community of Little Falls."

Ms. Hayes indicated that their parish program centers on community service. Through public education and community-based programs and workshops, the parish staff educates the general public about healthcare issues. The parish has sponsored several health fairs, stress relief programs and informational services, targeting such conditions as asthma, osteoporosis and high blood pressure.

Ecumenism at work

"Since we have instituted this program, local churches of other denominations have come to rely on us," she added. "We all work together to provide support to the community. It is an ecumenical program."

The range of programs at Immaculate Conception includes health, wellness, women's and men's issues, family life and even presentations on self-esteem, temperament and personality. Ms. Hayes said that they try to add a spiritual component to all of their programs, to provide opportunities for holistic healing of the body, mind and spirit.

"We are always visible to the community and available any time. We're just a phone call away," she said.

(For information on Seton's parish nursing program, call Ms. Montenegro at 268-6062.)

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