BLOOD PRESSURE: We are looking for RN’s who may be interested in occasionally helping to take blood pressures on the second Sunday of the month during the K of C breakfasts. If interested please call Ellen Hart at 234-3143. This is about a two hour time commitment.

VOLUNTEER NURSES HOME VISITS:  Parishioners are encouraged to request a home visit if they have health issues to discuss or need assistance in understanding medications or lab test results. If you would like a home visit or hospital visit contact Ellen Hart (234-3143).

BROCHURES AND HEALTH TIPS: Sacred Heart Parish Nursing has placed a literature display rack and bulletin board at the rear of the church.  Health and Wellness education will be displayed on the bulletin board and topics will be changed on a continuing basis. The literature rack currently contains Care Notes in a variety of helpful topics. This is sponsored by the Parish Nursing Program and has been restocked with several new titles. There are now Care Notes for Kids as well,  Care Notes for Teens have been placed in the Parish Center R&R Room. You are encouraged to look through these and take them to read. It will cut down on costs if you would return them when you have finished reading them. In the future you will also see disease specific brochures. We express our gratitude to Holy Rosary Healthcare Foundation for grant money helping to make this possible. If there are specific areas of health education you are interested in please call Ellen at 234-3143.

OUR HISTORY by Ellen Hart - Fall 2014

Parish Nursing is in the early stage of implementation at Sacred Heart now that two nurses have completed a Parish Nurse Foundations Course. Rosemary Malloy and I completed the nine-week preparation class in May of this year and are ready to volunteer our time to this ministry. Parish Nursing is a specialized practice of professional nursing which focuses on specific needs that relate to the physical, emotional and spiritual health of parish members.

What does a Parish Nurse do?  Parish Nurses can arrange for educational programs with the emphasis on prevention of disease and promotion of wellness. Health information can be made available through bulletin articles, bulletin-board displays, a literature rack along with presentations on specific health topics of interest. Blood pressure screenings are now being offered during the monthly Knights of Columbus breakfast.  A Parish Nurse can be of assistance to those in need of navigating through a complex health care system. Personal health counseling can be provided for individuals with chronic health concerns, stressful life transitions and /or spiritual concerns. We will be available to assist parishioners in understanding their medical conditions, lab results and medications. We hope to visit church members who are hospitalized and also those who have difficulty getting out of their home.

The Parish Nurse performs nursing care as established by the American Nurses Association scope of practice and Standards of Care. With an intentional focus on spiritual health the Parish Nurse uses the interventions of education, presence, counseling, active listening, prayer, advocacy and referral. We can assist with locating community resources as needed. A Parish Nurse cannot duplicate services offered by other agencies such as a Public Health or Home Health nurse. Therefore we are unable to provide hands on care such as injections or dressing changes.   

We have been providing education sessions to small groups of parishioners and seek input in the form of a Health Needs Assessment. (These are available at church for your convenience).  This is your opportunity to let us know what types of educational information or support you might be interested in. These completed forms can be placed in the collection basket or dropped off at the parish office.

We will be in need of some volunteers to assist with the program. We may need help providing companionship to the homebound or running errands for or taking a meal to those at home convalescing from hospitalization. There may be a need for assistance with blood pressure screenings, teaching a class or facilitating a support group.

We are excited about implementing this new program here at Sacred Heart. If you would like us to speak to your group or if you have questions/concerns, feel free to call Rosemary or Ellen at (406) 234-1691, ext. 8.