Congregational Nurse Program
Our Congregational Nurse Program is a unique, specialized nursing practice established as a collaborative relationship between Cone Health and our area’s faith communities. This partnership recognizes that religious organizations have a long history of promoting healing and caregiving. We established our Congregational Nurse Program in 1998 with grants from the Cone Health Foundation.
Our approach provides for a congregational coordinator based at Cone Health who is responsible for assisting community congregations with developing and implementing a Health Ministry Program. Each health ministry is tailored to meet individual congregations’ needs and capabilities. Currently, we collaborate with 48 faith communities, all of which have either a paid or volunteer congregational nurse.
Roles and Activities
Our congregational nurses provide a range of services to their faith communities such as:
Personal health counseling. While congregational nurses do not perform “hands-on” nursing care such as wound care or injections, they discuss health concerns with parishioners and visit with them as needed.- Health education. Congregational nurses promote an understanding of the relationship between lifestyle, attitudes, faith and well-being.
- Referral assistance. Congregational nurses serve as a resource for area health resources and services for their faith community.
- Recruiting volunteers. As facilitators, they often recruit and coordinate volunteers and support groups within their congregations.
The role of congregational nurses is varied and includes:
- Listening.
- Assessing health needs for the faith community.
- Providing screening clinics.
- Making home, hospital or nursing home visits.
- Referring parishioners to appropriate health or social services agencies.
- Offering educational programs to address specific congregational needs.
- Coordinating volunteers for supportive ministries.
- Networking with other congregational nurses to increase knowledge.
Program Objectives
Our objectives are to:
- Enhance the health status of people served by Cone Health through outreach.
- Promote harmony of body, mind and spirit in achieving and maintaining individual health with a focus on disease prevention and reducing health risk behaviors.
- Facilitate an active partnership between Cone Health, faith communities, agencies and the community at large to promote wellness, chronic disease management and healthier lifestyles.
Contact
For more information, call 336-663-5800.
Make a gift to the Congregational Nursing Program.
