March 15, 2023
Faith Community Nurse Program Celebrates 25 Years
Lee Health has a 105+-year history of caring for our community. Twenty-five years ago, a special program started that allowed Lee Health nurses the opportunity to provide care for their neighbors beyond the walls and boundaries of their day-to-day jobs and beyond just the physical aspect of health. The Parish Nurse Program, now known as the Faith Community Nurse Program, bridges the disciplines of nursing and ministry and addresses the mind, body and spiritual needs of the people in a church or congregation. Today, there are 28 Lee Health faith community nurses (FCNs) serving in 24 faith communities in Lee County.
As the Faith Community Nurse Program celebrates its 25th anniversary, I am proud to join in to celebrate this significant milestone and recognize the important roles our FCNs hold in our community, including:
- Counselor – FCNs provide personal and confidential counseling regarding health concerns. They encourage and empower people to participate in their health care decisions; and offer suggestions on modifying lifestyle behaviors and linking personal habits to faith and health.
- Health Educator – They offer health education programs and share articles in their faith community’s weekly bulletin. They also may organize and host health fairs and screenings.
- Health Advocate – FCNs are available to answer questions; they can help provide solutions and can, if needed or asked, be the voice for members of their church or congregation.
- Resource Agent – FCNs are liaisons and help make appropriate referrals to hospital and faith community resources when needed.
- Coordinator of Volunteers – They recruit and train volunteers to help with programs and other opportunities for care.
- Developer of Support Groups – They assess the needs of their faith community and establish support groups when necessary and appropriate.
- Integrator of Faith and Health – FCNs assess the needs of the human spirit and incorporate the values, beliefs and practices into the care plans for the people they are serving. They focus on the whole health of the person – mind, body and spirit.
Our FCNs are trusted resources – friends – who, through a personal connection and shared spiritual and religious faith, make a significant impact on the people they serve and care for. Lee Health and Lee County are blessed by this program and the nurses who answered the calling to provide this extra-special care.