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Faith Community Nursing Service

Faith Community Nursing Service is an outreach program in which Ephraim McDowell Health collaborates with nurses of faith communities to assist them in developing Faith Community Nursing or Health Ministries in their congregations. 

Faith Community Nursing and Health Ministries promote individual, family and community health in body, mind and spirit.  Health Ministries address the healthcare needs of a congregation through a spiritual aspect that addresses the wholeness of the person.  This service will help local congregations help themselves and others through education, prevention and advocacy.

Ephraim McDowell Health offers this service to congregations of all faiths and sizes in the communities served.  Providers are:

• Terry Casey, R.N., M.S.N., A.R.N.P., who is certified as a family nurse practitioner and Faith Community Nurse.  Her experience includes providing education for professionals, communities and individuals regarding emergency and immediate care, wellness and preventive health issues.

• Rosalie Albright, R.N.-B.C., M.S.N., C.N.S., A.R.N.P., who is trained as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner and certified as a Faith Community Nurse.  Her experience includes providing community education and working with geriatric and Alzheimer’s patients, mental health patients and families as well as acute and chronically-ill patients.  She has also provided information on community resources to patients and families.

What are Faith Community Nurses?
Faith Community Nurses are registered nurses and persons of faith who are trained to provide specific services, such as regular blood pressure screenings and health information to church members.  Their roles include:

• educating individuals regarding health with an emphasis on wellness and prevention
• acting as health advocates
• serving as facilitators, addressing needs for support through program development
• serving as counselors to promote an understanding of the relationship between faith and health
• acting as a visitation advocate and volunteer coordinator.

A Faith Community Nurse will not diagnose or treat illness, does not provide treatments or dispense medications and is not a clergy person.

Resources provided by Ephraim McDowell’s Faith Community Nursing Service
Education about starting a Faith Community Nursing Service
Consultation to congregations interested in beginning a Faith Community Nursing Service
Assistance to the congregation in the interview process and selection of the Faith Community Nurse
Educational program to prepare nurses for the role of Faith Community Nurse
Provide health ministry related training for the health ministry team
Provide access to the Health Ministry Resource Library maintained at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center
Provide education programs on topics of interest to the congregation or ministry team.

Educational Programs available

• Stress management
• Healthy lifestyle
• Exercise
• Disease Management
• Osteoporosis
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Managing chronic illness
• Alzheimer’s
• Maintaining a healthy heart
• Breast cancer
• Preventing colon cancer
• Depression
• Recognizing substance abuse
• Recognizing abuse
• Community resources
• Advance directives
• Health fairs
• How to make a health visit

For more information about the Faith Community Nursing Service, please call (859)239-1603.