NHM News and Notes
pat's patter
Happy Spring!
As a person who prefers almost always to be outdoors, it is difficult not to feel invigorated by the warming weather, the lengthening daylight, and the greening and budding of plantlife. I hope each of you is experiencing a sense of rebirth and new beginnings in this season of promise and hope.
Last month, we electronically mailed a survey to a sampling of the people who are part of the NHM e-community. Almost 300 people, about a third of those invited, responded, not only to the questions, but added thoughtful suggestions and comments. I'll give some preliminary highlights here, as well as describe the survey respondents since this is our virtual health ministries community.
One of the unexpected results of the survey was that many want to know more about the resources that are on the two websites hosted by NHM, so with each newslettter we will highlight timely web resources.
And, I'll also try to respond to the folks who have asked the articles to be shorter and pithier and use more links for those who want the rest of the story!
I am putting the finishing touches on this newsletter from Washington D.C. as I am attending the Aging in American Conference this week. There is so much energy and excitement here around older adults, aging programs and healthy aging! I keep running into Presbyterians who are involved in working through churches and senior centers and day service centers and retirement centers. What a shame that there is no single way to have folks all be in touch and collaborate in this critical work, at this opportune time!

peace & grace
Pat
Pat Gleich, associate for
National Health Ministries
(See the link below if you have not responded and would like your comments recorded)

Complete the NHM evaluation

A bit more from the survey....
The survey has given us a better idea of who in congregations is coordinating, doing or making certain that health ministry happens in congregations - the e-community. The vocational demographics of the respondents are displayed below:
Presbyterian Laypersons -- 14.3%
Presbyterian Pastors -- 32.0%
Presbyterian Elders or Deacons -- 27.7
"Lead" persons for congregational health ministries, PN or FCN -- 27.7% Presbyterian professional staff persons, including Christian Educators -- 8.7%
Member/clergy of other faith groups -- 7.8%
Representative of a partner or collaborating organization -- 6.8%

A number of people indicated "other" for this category and these included: caregivers, seminary faculty, pastoral staff from churches other than Presbyterian, chaplains, non-profit health-care agencies staff, a couple of folks who are unaffiliated with the faith community and looking, and, one person who identified as a "veteran trying to learn all he/she can about health."
The responses ranking the types of resources used typified the diverse group who are connected to NHM. Although there was a clear ranking as displayed below, the percentages of people indicating that each is important were so close that less than percentage points separated the highest ranking from the lowest ranking items. :
1. Health alerts (70.4%)
2. Credible and reliable information on health conditions and illness (68.3%)
3. Material for newsletters and bulletins, etc (62.3%)
4. A link to other health ministries throughout the denomination (54.7%)
5. Updates on advocacy issues (53.6%)
6. Clearinghouse for sharing program information and ideas among congregations (53.6%)

Funding Opportunity
Many Presbyterians, most, but not all who are women, are involved in some form of caregiving. Congregations efforts to support caregivers often are under resourced. For some, this may change as a result of new funding announced this week. The Weinberg Foundation Offering Family and Informal Caregiver Support Grants will be offered through
the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. Faith Based entities (including local congregations) are eligible to apply for grants under a new program aimed at supporting caregivers of elderly people. The Foundation plans to award 12 to 20 grants ranging from $300,000 to $900,000 to groups, who will also need to provide a local match, some of which can be in-kind.

Much more information is available on their website.
If you are interested you should act soon as there are several teleconferences scheduled to provide additional information about the grants and a letter of intent must be submitted by June 12, 2008.


The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

April is Health Awareness Month
The American Public Health Association has boldly marched into the discussion of climate change, taking on this theme for this year's public health month. With the following statement, they are urging all of us to get involved:

There is a direct connection between climate change and the health of our nation today. Yet few Americans are aware of the very real consequences of climate change on the health of our communities, our families and our children.

APHA Resources for Health Awareness

Meet us in St. Louis, People; Meet us at the POAMN Conference
Meet me in St. Louis, Louis; Meet me at the Fair is being sung by the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network (POAMN) Executive Committee with a slight change in the words. Our version goes something like: Meet us in St. Louis, People; Meet us at the POAMN Conference. The song comes from the musical by the same name which was produced in 1944 and set at the turn of the century when the World’s Fair celebrating the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase took place.

The POAMN version of the song is being sung across the denomination to beckon any and all who are involved in Older Adult Ministries to St. Louis, April 23-25, 2008, for its annual conference. Leaving a Living Legacy, theme of the conference, will presented by Keynote Speaker, the Rev. Dr. Richard Morgan, in two talks: “Values, not just Valuables” and “Writing our Ethical-Spiritual Will as Models for Ministry.” Other leadership will be provided by Dr. Tom English, speaking on “Christians and Caring for God’s Creation” and worship leader, the Rev. Linda Kelly. Workshops will address such topics as ministry to mature men, an insiders’ view of a retirement community, how to preserve life stories with video, a chaplain’s roundtable, basics of OAM, just to name a few.

2008 Legacy Awards will be presented to special guest, Marj Carpenter, and Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery. Early registration discounts have been extended.


Registration information.

Time Passages
How does your congregation mark time, particularly is it is an aging congregation, past the more frequent marker of youth? One opportunity for ministry with adults involves creating and celebrating passages and transitions.

A movement within the Reformed Jewish tradition called Sacred Aging seeks to celebrate the entire lifespan. One value of this approach is the creation of occasions to highlight the accomplishments and attainments of aging members of congregations in a positive and healthy way.

Does your congregation create these opportunities? Send us some examples and we will add them to the new Healthy Living website!
__________________________________________________________________________________
Send us your passages...

MoM goes cross country to the 218 General Assembly
June 13-June 28, 2008
The Health Mission on the Move (MoM) is taking a cross country road trip on her way to General Assembly in San Jose, California. MoM will take off from Louisville, Kentucky on June 13thand make our way to San Jose, stopping in various cities along the way.
MoM will start out on I-64 and then onto I-55, stopping in Springfield, Il on June 14 and 15th. MoM will then continue on I-55 towards Demoines, IA via I-74, I-80 and I-76, arriving in Denver, CO on June 17th. Reno, NV will be MoM’s final stop via I-80, on June 19th, before pulling into San Jose, CA on June 20th, 2008. Once in San Jose, MoM will be on display at the 218th General Assembly, and do three days of community outreach projects from June 20-28, 2008. If you live/work along the route to San Jose and would like to plan a stop en route to San Jose, please contact Chandra.

Presbyterian Health Ministry Forum at the Westberg Symposium
Save the dates now for the 22nd Annual Westberg Parish Nurse Symposium –
Lift Every Voice and Speak

Wednesday Evening, September 10, 2008
Gathering for Presbyterian Parish Nurses/Faith
Community Nurses
Program continues during the day on 9/11/08
Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 6:00 pm
World Forum Dinner and Meeting - All Invited
Contact Deborah Patterson
Friday, September 12, 2008
Pre-conferences begin - 9:00 am
Exhibits open - 1:30 pm
Symposium Opening Dinner - 5:30 pm
Symposium continues through Sunday, Sept. 14 at 11:00 am

NHM will present a Forum on Parish/Faith Community Nursing and Congregational Health Ministries on Wednesday evening, September 10th and Thursday, September 11th in St. Louis, prior to the start of the Westberg Symposium. This Forum will be an opportunity for Parish/Faith Community Nurses from Presbyterian Congregations to come together for information, discussion and collaboration.

MoM, the mobile health van will be at the Westberg Symposium.

For info about the PC(USA) Forum, write to health@pcusa.org.
Westberg Symposium Registration Information

Get Engaged!
Tips for discovering the right volunteer activity
Pay attention · Ask yourself why certain activities make you happy or are fulfilling and pay attention to times when you are really enjoying yourself.
· See how others are getting involved.
Look for clues everywhere · Notice problems that stir your compassion or excite your imagination.
· Reflect on stories of people you admire.
Be open · Rather than quash ideas that seem silly, consider them as real possibilities.
Be patient · Remember that your search may take some time and you might have to go down a few different roads before finding the right one.
· Sometime the best way to see if an activity fits is to try it!
Be creative · Imagine several different scenarios of satisfying work.

After you begin to get strong hints about your preferences, assess the practical realities — but do not let a few small barriers stop you if you have found something you really would like to do.

If you would like to take an interest survey to help narrow your interests, and help us collect information on what interests members, use the link below.
Take a brief survey...
In This Issue:
pat's patter
A bit more from the survey....
Funding Opportunity
April is Health Awareness Month
Meet us in St. Louis, People; Meet us at the POAMN Conference
Time Passages
MoM goes cross country to the 218 General Assembly
Presbyterian Health Ministry Forum at the Westberg Symposium
Get Engaged!
National Health Ministries needs your support
Spring into Spring!
Inside NHM
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On-Line Parish Nurse Course
MoM's Route to GA
Monthy Health Tip: Avoid Medication Errors
Links

National Health Ministries needs your support
National Health Ministries is an office of the General Assembly Council of the Presbyterian Church. Funding for this office and the programs of this office comes from an endowment which will end after 2008 and from monies that are given through ECO's (Extra Commitment Opportunities) by individuals, congregations and others who wish to see this work continue. NHM receives no unified funds through offerings or per capita giving.

Ear-marked giving keeps the mobile health van on the road, resources on the website and electronic newsletters coming via the internet, training and materials used by congregations and many more activities of which you might not even be aware.

If you are interested in helping support or underwrite a particular ministry or type of program, through NHM, click on the link below to see the options. Please contact us with any specific questions.

Support NHM

Spring into Spring!
Spring is here and this is a great time to start exploring ways to get out of the winter doldrums and rid of the extra baggage that winter weather and sedentary habits can encourage. If you are looking for a comprehensive individualized approach to healthier habits, go to our Healthy Steps program.

If you want to spread your enthusiasm about getting health with your congregation, this is a perfect time to organize a Congregational Walking Program!

If you think you are ready for a healthy change, start with a check-up of your current health status (and reducible risks) before you begin.
Get on the road to better health.

Congregational Walking program

Inside NHM

For Congregational Care Team Info

For Parish or Fath Community Nursing

Pandemic Flu Information

On-Line Parish Nurse Course
Dr. Maggie Miller of Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY will be teaching a IPNRC approved basic Parish Nurse preparation course on-line this summer. A long time instructor for Parish Nurses in the Episcopal Church, Dr. Miller follows the basic course elements listed below (from the IPNRC Guidelines.)
Module /Clock Hours
1. Health, Healing and Wholeness in the Faith Community3
2. History and Philosophy of Parish Nursing1
3. Ethics in Parish Nursing1.5
4. Legal Issues and Accountability in Parish Nursing2
5. Self Care for Parish Nurses2
6. Assessment: Individual, Family, Congregation1.5
7. Function of the Parish Nurse: Integrator of Faith & Health3
8. Function of the Parish Nurse: Personal Health Counselor 1
9. Function of the Parish Nurse: Health Educator1.5
10. Function of the Parish Nurse: Health Advocate1
11. Function of the Parish Nurse: Referral Agent1
12. Function of the Parish Nurse: Coordinator of Volunteers1
13. Function of the Parish Nurse: Accessing & Developing Support Groups1
14. Getting Started2
15. Functioning Within a Ministerial Team2
16. Health Promotion and Wellness2
17. Prayer and Worship Leader2
18. Grief and Loss2
19. Family Violence2
20. Documentation 22
Total34

For additional info

MoM's Route to GA

Hook up with MoM

Monthy Health Tip: Avoid Medication Errors
Did you know that Medical errors are one of the nation's leading causes of death and injury. A recent report by the Institute of Medicine estimates that as many as 44,000 to 98,000 people die in U.S. hospitals each year as the result of medical errors. This means that more people die from medical errors than from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS. These are AVOIDABLE deaths!
10 Ways to avoid medication errors.
Be Involved in Your Health Care
Checkout your health care providers.
Be Informed about Hospitals
Approach Surgery Knowledgeably
Take Medicines with Caution
Speak up if you have questions or concerns.
Make sure that all health professionals involved in your care have important health information about you.
Do not assume that everyone knows everything they need to.
Know that "more" is not always better.
If you have a test, don't assume that no news is good news - Ask about the results.

More ways to avoid medication errors

Take a brief survey

Links
Visit our website.
Meet the National Health Ministries Staff
Find our previous Newsletters.
Remember our new e-mail.