Welcome to Trinity Faith Community Nursing

Kim Dean, RN, BSN, FCN

Mission

To develop a faith-based church program that promotes the health and wellness of the congregation.  The mission is to provide health and wellness education, advocacy, and referral services with an emphasis on spirituality.

How

• Providing evidence-based health and wellness education through individual and group educational programs, literature, and counseling.
• Performing health screenings through blood pressure, glucose, and biometric measurements.
• Developing collaborative relationships with community resources in order to better serve.
• Prayerfully seeking God's wisdom and direction.  Continued Bible and Nursing study.

Vision

• To develop a Faith Community Nursing program that is seen as a productive, vital asset to the congregation and community.
• To develop a team of individuals who are committed to promoting the health and wellness of the congregation.
• Through our service we improve the overall health and wellness of the congregation and community in which we serve while bringing them closer to God through our emphasis on spiritually.

February 2024 Health News 

February is American Heart Month.  Heart Health and Wellness is near to my heart.  I worked on a unit specializing in cardiology for many years.  I worked with individuals with coronary artery disease, heart attacks, congestive heart failure, hypertension and an array of irregular heart rhythms such as Atrial fibrillation, Bradycardia, Tachycardia, etc.

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to take care of your heart through living a healthy lifestyle.  On Thursday February 29 at 6:30pm I will be presenting a program at Trinity on Heart Health, Wellness and Spirituality with special guest speaker Teresa Simmons from Mt. Solon.  Teresa is a heart attack survivor and author of the book: "Gone for 18 Minutes To Heaven, To Hell, And Back.  Please join us for an evening of learning and fellowship.

Here are some facts about heart disease from the CDC:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States.1
• One person dies every 33 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease.1
• About 695,000 people in the United States died from heart disease in 2021—that’s 1 in every 5 deaths.1,2
• Heart disease cost the United States about $239.9 billion each year from 2018 to 2019.3 This includes the cost of health care services, medicines, and lost productivity due to death.

Coronary Artery Disease

• Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease, killing 375,476 people in 2021.2
• About 1 in 20 adults age 20 and older have CAD (about 5%).2
• In 2021, about 2 in 10 deaths from CAD happen in adults less than 65 years old.1

Early Action Is Important for Heart Attack

Know the warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack.

Heart Attack

• In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds.2
• Every year, about 805,000 people in the United States have a heart attack.2  Of these,
  • 605,000 are a first heart attack2
  • 200,000 happen to people who have already had a heart attack2
  • About 1 in 5 heart attacks are silent—the damage is done, but the person is not aware of it.2

1. National Center for Health Statistics. Multiple Cause of Death 2018–2021 on CDC WONDER Database. Accessed February 2, 2023.
2. Tsao CW, Aday AW, Almarzooq ZI, Beaton AZ, Bittencourt MS, Boehme AK, et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2023 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2023;147:e93–e621.

Links to some great information:

ABCS of Heart Health | Million Hearts® (hhs.gov)

High Blood Pressure | cdc.gov

Stroke | cdc.gov

Cholesterol | cdc.gov

You are welcomed to come visit me in my office after church for Blood Pressure or Glucose screenings.  I also have literature on Heart Health, Blood Pressure, Healthy Eating and Weight loss.  There are books and pamphlets you can borrow on a variety of topics including: Anxiety, Depression, Grief, Mental Health, Aging, Fall Prevention, Alzheimer's, Dementia, Healthy Diets...

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20

"Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well" 3 John 1:2

“Health is not only to be well, but to use well every power we have.”
          -Florence Nightingale,
                                         1893

What is Parish/Faith Community Nursing?

Faith Community Nursing’s primary focus is on Wholistic Care: Health promotion, disease prevention with a specific focus on Spiritual Care.  FCNs are wellness advocates and referral agents that collaborate with other healthcare facilities to get individuals the care they need.  FCNs counsel and lead parishioners to wellness and spiritual healing.

Defining Health & Wellness

“Health is the complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease.”  Health, including mental health, is related to the promotion of well-being, the prevention of (mental) disease and the treatment and rehabilitation of the disease process.” -World Health Organization.

“Health is the harmonious balance of body, mind, and spirit in an ever-changing environment.” 

– The American Holistic Nurses’ Association

“Health is the experience of wholeness, salvation, or shalom.  The integration of the spiritual, physical, psychological, emotional, and social aspects of the healthcare consumer to create a sense of harmony with self, others, the environment, and higher power.  Health may be experienced in the presence or absence of disease or injury.”

 -Faith Community Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice. 

Wellness

According to Merriam-Webster it is defined as the quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal.

The National Wellness Institute promotes Six Dimensions of Wellness: emotional, occupational, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual.  Addressing all six dimensions of wellness in our lives builds a holistic sense of wellness and fulfillment. “A conscious self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential. A multidimensional and holistic encompassing lifestyle, mental and spiritual wellbeing, and the environment.  Wellness is always positive and affirming.

National Institutes of health states wellness has several dimensions, including emotional well-being (recognizing the need for physical activity, healthy foods, and sleep).

Wellness is an Active Process

Through which individuals become aware of and make choices toward a more successful existence.

Wellness is a Choice

“A decision we make daily to move toward disease or move toward optimal health and maximum life.”

Wellness is a Process

“An awareness that there is no end point, but that health and happiness are always possible in the present moment, the here and now.”

Wellness is a Way of Life

“A lifestyle sensitive and responsive to all the dimensions of body, mind, and spirit; an approach to life we each design to achieve our highest potential for well-being now and forever. No matter our state of health, Wellness calls for continuing improvement and self-renewal in all areas of life.  Wellness dedicates its efforts to our total well-being.”

Wellness is more than just the absence of disease

“Wellness is a dynamic process of change and growth, there are many interrelated dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, environmental, and occupational. Each dimension is equally vital in the pursuit of optimum health.”

Social Wellness

“Perform social roles effectively and comfortably and create a supportive network.”

Occupational Wellness

“Enjoy your occupational endeavors and appreciate your contribution. “

Physical Wellness

“Maintain a healthy body and seek medical care when needed.”

Intellectual Wellness

 “Have an open mind when you encounter new ideas and continue to expand your knowledge.”

Emotional Wellness

“Understand your feelings and cope effectively with stress.”

Spiritual Wellness

“Develop a set of values that help you seek meaning and purpose.”

Environmental Wellness

 “Respect the delicate balance between the environment and ourselves.”

What the Bible has to say about Health & Wellness

                  We are created in the image of God. Genesis 1:26;27

We can find God in stillness: Psalm46:10

God’s healing wholeness: Isaiah 58:6-9; 61:1-3

The weary renew their strength: Isaiah 40:31

God wants us to have an abundant life: John 10:10

We find true rest in God: Matthew 11:28-29

Where two or three are gathered in His name, He is with them. Matthew 18:19-20

“For surly I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” -Jeremiah 20:11

“And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the spirit.” -2 Corinthians 3:18

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” –Philippians 4:13

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God-what is good and acceptable and perfect.” –Romans 12:1-2