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Parish nursing and health ministry
Grant Medical Center and Riverside Methodist Hospital, in partnership with local churches, are coordinating a parish nurse and health ministry outreach program in central Ohio. The program seeks to strengthen existing ministries to the whole person-body, mind, and spirit-and provides resources to churches interested in enhancing their ministry to the congregation they serve.

Working under the direction of the local church leadership, the parish nurse and health ministry coordinators are consultants and resources for the development of the church's parish nurse or health ministry programs.

Healing the whole person

What is a health ministry?

History and philosophy of health ministry

Health ministry models

Sponsoring health ministry

OhioHealth in health ministry

How OhioHealth can assist you in beginning a health ministry

Is there a cost?

How your congregation partners with OhioHealth

Back to Community Outreach Programs

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What is a health ministry?
Health ministry is service to others through a variety of methods that have the consideration of the whole person as a fundamental basis. It is a prevention-related outreach program that emphasizes health and wholeness of the body, mind, and spirit. Health ministry provides information and support to people in a congregation and its surrounding community. The ministry promotes harmony and growth through increased self-knowledge, stewardship, and interdependence with people and acceptance of God's love.

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History and philosophy of health ministry
The church's healing ministry is as old as scripture, but the current emphasis can be traced to churches that promoted the use of nurses as health ministers or parish nurses. Pioneers in this movement envisioned religion and medicine as being related, and recognized that illness involves the whole person. The philosophy is that something other than curative measures is at work to keep people well; things such as hope and having meaningful purpose in life. Studies already demonstrate that individuals who identify with faith communities have a higher level of health and wellness than people who do not have such a community.

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Health ministry models
There are a variety of models that can be employed in the delivery of healthcare services through faith communities. Four of the most common models are:

• Health Minister - A professional healthcare giver on the church staff who provides services to individuals and staff. This may be a parish nurse or other professional.
• Lay Counselors - Trained volunteers who serve as advisors on health education and promotion for individuals and groups.
• Healing Congregations - Congregations that engage in holistic health programs that address their own problems and develop their own solutions.
• Team Approach - A team of people that may include a pastor, other professionals and lay people, utilizing a combination of any of the models.

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Sponsoring health ministry
In addition to various models, there are different types of organizations that sponsor health ministries.

• Faith Community-based - One or more churches determine the sponsorship they can provide for a health ministry program.
• Hospital-based - A hospital may have a joint agreement with one or several churches/synagogues for the oversight of a parish nurse, health minister, or congregational team.
• Long-term Care Facility-based - A long-term care facility may employ a parish nurse or a social worker to serve in several roles including the role of pastoral staff counselor, staff nurse/social worker, or lay minister.
• Community-based - An organization such as a hospital or faith community may designate their health ministry program as a service to the entire community, not just the congregation.

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OhioHealth in health ministry
OhioHealth is a faith-based, not-for-profit integrated healthcare system. As Ohio’s largest healthcare system, we are committed to our mission “to improve the health of those we serve” and truly impacting the health of Ohio residents. We are proactive in our efforts to reach out to various communities and play an instrumental role in their well-being through health and wellness education and disease prevention programming. As your partner in health ministry, OhioHealth is committed to:

• Faith communities who are also committed to improving health and increasing wellness through activities and programming.
• Focusing our resources on community partnerships for health and wellness and high levels of healthcare.
• Assisting with the identification of positive outcomes that may be traced to health and wellness programs. Positive outcomes may assist in additional collaboration with supporting community organizations.
• Encouraging and assisting with church outreach activities.

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How OhioHealth can assist you in beginning a health ministry
An OhioHealth consultant is available to assist with your health ministry program development. OhioHealth has decades of experience in developing health ministry programs through our Parish Nurse Program. OhioHealth can provide expertise and resources in the following ways:

• Provide information and education on the steps for beginning a health ministry
• Assist with initial assessment of congregational and community needs
• Assist with orientation of health ministry staff and congregation
• Provide on-going education and support for health ministry leadership
• Assist with evaluation of program effectiveness
• Provide windows of opportunity to OhioHealth resources and to existing resources within the broader community

• Leadership education and awareness of a health ministry
• Committee formation of interested people
• Assessment of current congregational and/or community health status
• Identification of health ministry needs based upon assessment outcomes
• Selection of model for service
• Proposal for development of health ministry and plan of action
• Education and integration of health ministry into the faith community

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Is there a cost?
OhioHealth has no fees associated with assisting you to develop a health ministry. The type of cost that may be incurred will be related to the programming/services, staff, and support measure that you choose for your health ministry's implementation and operations.

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How your congregation partners with OhioHealth
To participate in a Health Ministry Program with OhioHealth, we ask that your congregation join a Covenant with us. This covenant represents a partnership between your congregation and OhioHealth. OhioHealth serves as the facilitator, educator and supports the program. We do not consider this relationship to be exclusive and expect congregations to work with all in the community that can enhance their ministry. The following are expectations for partnering in the partnering congregation:

• The congregation maintains a committee of three or more to oversee the program.
• The congregation appoints one or two liaisons who represent the congregation to OhioHealth Community Outreach Department.
• If the liaison is a parish nurse, he or she must have an active Ohio Registered Nursing License and maintain malpractice insurance to cover activities performed for the congregation.
• The liaison is expected to complete reports on a quarterly basis to the Church Partnerships Department.

In addition to the above, the following are requested of the partnering congregation:

• One of the liaisons or a substitute attends the eight Parish Nurse and Health Ministry Forums held throughout the year. The liaison maintains CPR training and attends continuing education sessions.

For more information about creating a health ministry program within your congregation, please contact Community Outreach at (614) 544-4330.

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