People

What is the Health Ministry Committee?

The Health Ministry Committee is a group of congregational volunteers who, along with the pastor and the parish nurse, work at promoting the health of the members. They gain a comprehensive view of what is already going on in the congregation in terms of health ministry and then work to develop other programs to meet the needs of the members.

Chairperson

Joyce Thomson

Committee Members:

John Cowee

Nancy Cowee

Angela Dir

Joy Hawkins

Marilyn Stember

Ellen Swanson

David Weir

What is Parish Nursing?

The focus of parish nursing practice is on prevention, health promotion, care management and referral. The parish nurse does not provide ongoing physical care, administer medications, draw blood, or do other invasive procedures. This ministry is not a substitute for pastoral care, medical care, home health care, or social services, but rather works in collaboration with these disciplines.

(See Scope and Standards of Parish Nursing Practice adapted by the American Nurses'

Association for further information.)

What are the benefits of a Parish Nurse to you?

The Parish Nurse is a:

• Health educator, providing opportunities for you to learn about health topics so you can make an informed decision;
• Health advocate/health counselor, listening and discussing health issues with you and/or your family in your home, hospital, nursing home or church;
• Referral source, serving as a liaison to connect you with community services;
• Facilitator and coordinator of care-related volunteers, identifying and recruiting congregational volunteers to assist you as needed;
• Integrator, assisting you to bring together faith and health in your life; and
• Support group facilitator, assessing need within the congregation, and developing appropriate groups.

Who is the Parish Nurse?

Parish Nurse Sheryl Stenseth, MSN, FNP received her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from the University of North Dakota in 1977. Most of her nursing career has been spent in the hospital setting, working in Intensive Care and Ambulatory Surgery. She has also served as a clilnical instructor at the Community College of Denver. She has received nursing excellence awards from Humana Hospital and Rose Medical Center and was nominated for the Florence Nightingale award in 2001.

Sheryl fulfilled a dream in August of 2002 when she completed the Masters and Family Nurse Practitioner program at Regis University. This is where she became interested in Parish Nursing and spent time with Sandy Kuka, the former parish nurse at Augustana, while completing her Masters Project on Health Ministry. Sheryl's special interests include care of the elderly, women's healthcare issues, health education, health promotion, and preventive care.

Volunteer nurses staff the parish nurse office on Sunday morning to offer blood pressure checks and health counseling.