Family Information Network
Of Northwest Ohio
You are a Faith Community Nurse and a family in your faith community calls you to report on the birth of their new baby.  The Mom tells you that the baby was diagnosed at birth with Downs Syndrome.  You ask permission to visit the new Mom and baby and bring with you a new blanket handmade by members of the faith community. 
During your visit you listen intently to the parents story of the birth of their baby and their concerns about the future for their child. You offer support and ask permission to pray with the family.

You also discuss with the parents the United Way Family Information Network of Northwest Ohio. You know from experience that this network provides information, accurate referral services, education, support and networking opportunities to families of children with disabilities. Their service is free, confidential and available to all people who have a child with special needs in all of the counties in Northwest Ohio. 

If you live in Lucas, Wood or Ottawa counties, you may reach the Family Information Network by dialing 211.  Or you may call them at 419 254 4645 or 419 254 4644.  Their Web site is
www.Unitedwaytoldeo.org/FIN.  The Web site provides an up-to-date calendar of events.

As a Faith Community Nurse you may call the network to find out what they have to offer.  Sometimes the parents are so overwhelmed that they are unable to contact the Network on their own and would appreciate the nurse making the initial contact.  With the parent’s permission, you may call the Network and make a referral.  Someone from the network will then call the family and assess their needs and offer support, guidance and referrals. 

The Network is available to help people find resources for their baby throughout their childhood and beyond. They offer educational programs for parents, which include information about future planning, such as trusts, guardianships and competency hearings.   The goal of the Network is to reach as many people as possible who have children born with both physical and/or mental challenges.  The members of the Network strive to connect the families with every available resource and support them in their journey with their special needs child. 

Diane Frazee, the director of the Family Information Network, fondly recalls the woman at church who reached out to her when she brought her baby with special needs to church for the first time.  Faith Community Nurses have a wonderful opportunity to be the person who reaches out with love, prayer, support and information to a new family with a baby born with special needs.  

Access Information
 National Institute of Health Web Site.

When you have access to a computer, you have up-to-date health information at your fingertips that may assist you in advocating the best care for your congregant.   I strongly recommend that you become familiar with the National Institute of Health Web site www.nih.gov.

The following case study will give you ideas about how to get answers to your congregant’s questions in a timely fashion. 

A 72 year old male member of the congregation confides to the Faith Community Nurse (FCN) that he just was told he probably has cancer (sarcoma) in his leg.  He asks the FCN to discuss with him the range of treatment options he is being offered.  The congregant asks you what you know about sarcoma.   You go to the NIH web site and review the professional information about sarcoma, including incidence, prognosis and treatment.  You also print out information that is written for the health consumer. This printout includes a short list of questions to ask the surgeon about the surgery.

Following surgery, the person asks you to go with him to the surgeon’s office for the post-operative visit and review of the pathology report. As a faith community nurse, you want to be ready to support the congregant and to ask relevant questions during the visit.  You have already read about sarcoma, but now you want to know more about types of sarcomas, staging of the tumor, prognosis, post surgery treatment options, locations of service providers and questions to ask.  Again you return to the NIH Web site in order to obtain information for professionals, as well as, for your congregant.    When the two of you go to the appointment you are both prepared to listen to the prognosis, request a copy of the pathology report and hear about the post surgical treatment options being offered.  You also are prepared to ask relevant questions about the diagnosis, further treatment options and plans for follow up care.

By carefully listening to the person, providing accurate up-to-date health information, supporting his autonomy and accompanying him to the surgeon’s office, as requested, you are providing whole person care.  You are truly supporting the whole person, mind, body and spirit. 

CNP Educational Offering

Basic Parish Nurse Education Course
The Congregational Nurse Project offers the Basic Parish Nurse Education Course twice a year in Northwest Ohio.  This is a 40 hour course that prepares the registered nurse to practice in the specialty area of Faith Community Nursing.  The next course will start on the last Tuesday of September 2008 in Norwalk, Ohio.  Please see the link in on this Web site for more information about the next course.

Health Literacy Ask Me 3
1. What is my main problem?
2. What do I need to do?
3. Why is it important for me to do this?

Partnership for Clear Health Communication at the National Patient Safety Foundation

Web site http://www.npsf.org/askme3/

Resource Room

Recent Acquisitions

Get My People GOING!!
An Invitation to Wholeness
A Guide for Parish Nurses/Faith Community Nurses and Health Ministers.
International Parish Nurse Resource Center. 2008.
Based on the Exodus story, this eight-week program  invites participants to choose three lifestyle areas to improve: such as exercise, diet, sleep, prayer, time with friends, or drinking water. Everyone in your congregation can be part of this faith-based initiative! 

The CD includes a participant book/log, an implementation manual, and bulletin board. The manual contains:

1. Tips on "How to Run the Program"
2. Weekly Bulletin Inserts
3. Monthly Newsletter Articles
4. Weekly E-mail Messages for Participants
5. Poster
6. Sign-up Sheet
7. Congregational Survey (for follow-up), and a
8. Leader Evaluation Form.

All materials may be personalized for your own congregational setting.

Perfect Weight America
Jordan Rubin with Bernard Bulwer, MD
Siloam, A Strang Company. 2008.

Upcoming Workshops
Please check the new Congregational Nurse Project Blog in order to keep up-to-date about educational offerings in Northwest Ohio that may be of interest to faith community nurses and health ministers.   Daily the CNP Blog site is updated with information that comes to the attention of CNP Resource Person from throughout the community.  In order to serve you better we have developed this additional service.  If you want to have information posted on the Blog send the information to the editor at Lfulcher@wcnet.org
To visit the Blog go to
http://cnpnwoblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Donations to Congregational Nurse Project
Thank you for the recent donations.
Sponsors ($100 to $499)
Cathy Hunter

Thank you Retiring Board Member:  Marla Folkerts

Welcome New Board Member
Thomas M. Baur
New Life Spine Center

       LISTEN

When I ask you to listen to me
and you start giving advice
you have not done what I asked.

When I ask you to listen to me
and you begin to tell me why I shouldn’t feel that way,
you are trampling on my feelings.

When I ask you to listen to me
and you feel you have to do something to solve my
problems, you have failed me, strange as that may seem.

Listen!  All I ask was that you listen
not talk or do – just hear me.
Advice is cheap: 10 cents will get you both Dear Abby and
Billy Graham in the same newspaper.
And I can do for myself; I am not helpless.
Maybe discouraged and faltering, but not helpless.

When you do something for me that I can and need to do
for myself, you contribute to my fear and weakness.

But, when you accept as I a simple fact that I do feel what
I feel, no matter how irrational, then I can quit trying to
convince you and can get about the business of
understanding what is behind this irrational feeling.
And when that is clear, the answers are obvious, and I
don’t need advice.
Irrational feelings make sense when we understand
what’s behind them.

Perhaps that’s why prayer works, sometimes, for some
people because God is mute, and he doesn’t give advice or
try to fix things. “They” just listen and let you
work it out for yourself.

So please listen and just hear me.  And, if you want to
talk, wait a minute for your turn; and I’ll listen to you.

Anonymous
Obtained from Servant Leadership

Upcoming Workshops
 and Programs
 
Please check the new Congregational Nurse Project Blog in order to keep up-to-date about educational offerings in Northwest Ohio that may be of interest to faith community nurses and health ministers.   Daily the CNP Blog site is updated with information that comes to the attention of CNP Resource Person from through out the community.  In order to serve you better we have developed this additional service.  If you want to have information posted on the blog send the information to the editor, Mary Jane Fulcher
To visit the Blog go to the http://cnpnwoblog.blogspot.com/

A Newsletter of the Congregational Nurse Project of Northwest Ohio

Sponsored by
Blessed Sacrament Church, Toledo
Catholic Charities
Islamic Center of Greater Toledo
Lutheran Social Services of Northwest Ohio
Maumee Valley Presbytery
Mercy Health Partners
ProMedica Health System
St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center Foundation
Sylvania United Church of Christ
Toledo Area Ministries
Tranquility Incontinence Products
West Central Ohio Health Ministries Program

Editor
Mary Jane Fulcher, RN, MSN
419 262 1462
Lfulcher@wcnet.org
P. O. Box 1262, Bowling Green, OH 43402
Web site www.cnpnwo.org

Blood Pressure Equipment Calibration for Parish Nurses

Medical College Hospital of Toledo: Parish Nurses may call Sandra Adcock in
the Pastoral Care Department at 314 383 3851 to make an appointment to have manual and electronic blood
pressure equipment checked.

St. Luke's Hospital of Maumee: Parish nurses in the area may bring their BP
units to St. Luke's to have the calibration checked. They may call
Facilities Management at 419-893-5929 and the secretary will confirm with
Bio-MedServices. Any difficulties call the Pastoral Care
Director at 419-893-5924.

Mercy Hospital of Willard will offer free blood pressure cuff calibration
to the Parish Nurses in the Willard area. Parish Nurses are asked to bring
their BP equipment to the hospital and ask for either Paula Karr or Tim
DeMonte. DeMonte and/or Karr will take responsibility for having the
equipment checked and calibrated by biomed and returned to the nurses.
Loaner equipment may be obtained by contacting Tim DeMonte. This service
can be obtained any time Monday thru Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Paula Karr may be reached at 419-964-5180.

St. Charles Mercy Hospital, St. Anne Mercy
Hospital, and St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center will offer blood pressure
equipment checks. Please call Sr. Dorothy Thum at 419-251-0715 to make an
appointment to have your equipment checked.

By appointment the following hospitals are offering
to check the calibration of manual and electronic blood pressure cuffs in
the BioMed department while you wait:
The Toledo Hospital: Call Tim Pfleghaar in the BioMed department at 419 291 5929 for an appointment.
Bay Park Hospital: Call Scott Yarnell in the BioMed Department at 419 690 8793 for an apppointment
Flower Hospital: Call Greg Cochran in the Bio Med department at 419 824 1494 for an appointment.

CNPNWO is grateful to all of these hospitals for offering this much needed
service to the parish nurses in Northwest OH. If any other hospitals would
like to offer this service to parish nurses in your area, please contact
the editor.