Pastoral Care: Parish nurses Ministry  

We are delighted to welcome you to the St. Joseph Health Ministries/Parish Nurse page!

*St. Joseph’s Parish Nurse is available by calling 815-939-3573 ext. 307---Please leave a message and the Parish Nurse will return your call.  If it is an emergency call 911*

Health ministry is many different things in many different churches. Health ministry can be as simple as reaching out to a member in poor health or as challenging as holding a health fair that reaches out to the greater community or getting an automatic defibrillator with training for all.

Parish nursing is an idea born out of the understanding of the healing ministry of the church and the need to return to healthcare that focuses on the whole person, emphasizing wellness, disease prevention and health promotion. That is what we are trying to do here.

Our ministry celebrates the church's tradition of serving the spiritual, psychological and physical needs of individuals. We have a desire to treat the whole person, ad to encourage the congregation to view itself as a place of health and healing.

(Left to Right) Registered Nurses Mary Ellen Arrington and Cheryle Strother are among the other nurses involved in this healing ministry.

  Walgreens store manager Jeff Thompson and his daughters are pictured at a flu shot clinic sponsored by Walgreens and the Parish Nurses Ministry.

St. Joseph Health Ministries/Parish Nurses work with two principal missions. One is "to support and promote Christ-centered health and wellness of body, mind, and spirit through congregational health ministries." Another principal mission of St. Joseph Health Ministries/Parish Nurse Health Ministries is "to promote and encourage Christ-centered health and wellness among our community." To do this we advocate toward a healthy worker, in a healthy family, in a healthy workplace, in a healthy congregation, in a healthy church body, in a healthy community. Resources to encourage wellness among church members can be found throughout this Web page.

What does a parish nurse do?

A parish nurse is a registered nurse and a person of faith, and is able to express this through conversation and prayer. He or she is a person committed to ongoing theological reflection and training, as well as working with our pastor, our congregation and the parish in the following ways:

• Educates toward health so that our congregation might grow in seeing itself as a healing and redemptive fellowship, fostering new and creative responses to health concerns.

• Integrates faith and health for people in a way that is seldom offered outside of the church. The spiritual dimension of the person is central to the practice of parish nursing.

• Refers people to community resources (bereavement support, legal services, alternative medicines, etc.) and is not involved in "hands-on" nursing or the duplication of services that are already available.

• Coordinates community resources through networking with individuals and agencies, being especially helpful to people with multiple needs.

• Supports the involvement of volunteers in the congregation's health ministry by linking people who can help, encouraging us to build on and strengthen our capacities to understand and care for one another.

• Counsels' individuals within a faith/health perspective through a ministry of careful listening, conversation and prayer, encouraging and empowering individuals to become more active partners in the management of their personal health resources.

• Partners with the pastor, health committee and other parish ministries to enhance the life and ministry of our congregation through an interdisciplinary team.

If you're interested in getting involved in this parish ministry, e-mail strthszy@comcast.net

... Or call Sr. Denise Glazik, OP, parish pastoral associate, 815-939-3573.

Resources

---Azzarelli Outreach Clinic---Located at St. Teresa Parish in Kankakee---815-928-6093; Hours: Registered Nurse on duty every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9 am to 2 pm. Physicians and Nurse Practitioners are scheduled throughout the month---The clinic serves those without healthcare insurance, those who are under insured and all are welcome. They are health care professionals committed to serving those who have no other access to health care. They also have Spanish translators available. Things they do: physical exams and health assessments, follow-up care for chronic health problems, medication assistance when possible, health and wellness teaching with continued support, monthly well-baby clinic, and assist clients in managing long term health and wellness issues and offer emotional and spiritual support.

---Kankakee County Health Department-2360 W. Station, Kankakee, IL- (815) 937-3560

---Some parishioners who are pharmacists:

Monica Leriger, Walgreens, 24 hour location 1050 N Kennedy Drive , Kankakee, IL – (815) 932-9615

Nikki Montague, Walgreens, 501 N. Convent, Bourbonnais, IL – (815) 937-0632

Ryan Adams, Riverside Medical Center, 350 N. Wall St. Kankakee, IL – (815) 933-0793

(Left) Pharmacists Nikki Montague performs blood pressure screenings during an event sponsored by the Parish Nurse Ministry.