Parish Nurse

Mission Statement/Philosophy:

          We are volunteer registered nurses who practice according to the Scope and Standards of Parish Nursing Practice, as formulated by the American Nurses Association.  Our own mission statement, crafted in the late 90s, emphasizes the unique character of our ministry:

We are dedicated to wellness of body-mind-spirit, grounded in the belief of Church as healing place.  We provide services of health promotion, education, and referral---open to residents of the Garfield Ridge community, irrespective of religious affiliation

We are NOT home health workers or private duty nurses, roles that would be contrary to the Parish Nursing standards of practice.

Membership Requirements:

          Registered nurses interested in community health promotion are invited to join our ministry.  Others interested in this same area who are not nurses are also welcome to participate in our events as their time and talents allow.

Meetings:

          Because of our busy lives, we have found creative ways to plan our activities with a minimum of meetings.

What We Would Like People to Know:

          Since our beginning in 1997, we have engaged in multiple activities.  We secured several grants from major corporations to fund our start-up; donations have also been obtained over the years from the Holy Name Society, the Knights of Columbus, and the Women’s Club.  Endeavors since our founding have included Blood Pressure Screenings, guest speakers addressing health topics, children’s activities, etc.  At present, we organize Wellness Screenings and a Parish Blood Drive.  We also write the weekly column for our Parish Bulletin called “Health Quest”.  Over the years, we have had between 2 and 4 parish nurses in our ranks at any time PLUS faithful “lay” volunteers. We have many dreams that could be accomplished with the assistance of a few more nurses.  We could then look forward to future years with enhanced services to our Parish and community.

Information:

If you are interested in finding out more about Parish Nursing at St. Daniel’s, please call JoAnn (773-586-5110) or Catherine (773-586-1653).