Faith Community Nursing, also called Parish Nursing, is an interfaith health ministry that emphasizes care for the body, mind and spirit within the context of a faith community. Its foundations can be traced to the early Christian church where care of the sick was an integral part of community life. This mission was carried on through the centuries by religious orders who provided care for the underserved of society in both community and institutional settings.
Parish Nursing began as a professional nursing specialty in 1984 when Granger Westberg, a Lutheran minister and hospital chaplain, initiated a pilot program in the Chicago area where registered nurses were placed in congregations to provide health promotion services. Today, well over 15,000 faith community nurses can be found working in churches, synagogues and mosques throughout the U.S., Canada, Korea, Australia, Swaziland Africa and the United Kingdom.
The Crystal M. Lange College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Saginaw Valley State University is one of 108 Educational Partners of the International Parish Nurse Resource Center, qualifying it to offer the Parish Nursing Basic Preparation Curriculum© and Parish Nurse Coordinator Curriculum.© These standardized curricula were developed in consultation with the National League for Nursing and the American Nurses Association Credentialing Center. More than 190 participants from 20 Michigan counties, representing over 125 faith communities, have attended Basic Prep courses at SVSU since 2001. Individuals completing the program are equipped to respond to the unique assets and concerns of particular faith communities. Our qualified and diverse faculty offers a unique learning experience within a state-of-the art framework. Core content emphasizes spiritual self-awareness, professional accountability, evidence-based practice and safe, competent client care.
In accordance with the Faith Community Nursing Scope & Standards of Practice (ANA, 2005):
“The faith community nurse is knowledgeable in two areas- professional nursing and spiritual care. As a member of the staff providing spiritual care in the faith community, the goal of the FCN is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities; prevention of illness, and injury; and responding to suffering in the context of the values, beliefs, and practices of a faith community such as a church, congregation, parish, synagogue, temple or mosque.”
Browse our website for more information or contact us at the following information below:
Newsletters
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Faith Community Nursing Faculty
(L to R): Rhonda Copeland, RN, MS; Carol Vos, RN, BSN; Janalou Blecke, RN, PhD; Mary Solterman, RN, MSN; Ava Lewis, RN, PhD; Sandy Mixer, RN, MSN.
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To learn more about the program or to comment on the website we invite you to contact us. We would enjoy hearing from you.
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Janalou Blecke, RN, PhD
Coordinator Faith Community Nursing Program
989.964.4130
blecke@svsu.edu
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Carol Vos, RN, MSN Candidate
Associate Coordinator Faith Community Nursing Program
989.964.2759
cmvos@svsu.edu |
Vickie Jaskiewicz
Administrative Assistant
989.964.2732
vlj@svsu.edu |
