Author: Clark Five Design

Nursing Innovation Presentations coming October 15, 2024

Posted on August 9, 2024 by - Press Releases

NurseHack4Health recently opened a funding opportunity called the “Pitch-a-thon” where applicants could apply for funding for an innovative idea to improve healthcare. The 2024 competition is closed, but the top entries will be invited to pitch their innovative solutions at a virtual session at 1:00 pm ET on October 15, 2024 with the opportunity to receive up to $150,000 in grant funding.

This could be an interesting session to attend! From their website: “NurseHack4Health is a community of nurses, healthcare professionals, developers, engineers, IT experts and other innovators focused on ideating and collaborating to address today’s most pressing healthcare challenges.”

Register here: https://nursehack4health.org/

Mark your calendars! HMA conference is coming!

Posted on August 9, 2024 by - Press Releases

2024 Health Ministries Association Virtual Conference planning is underway! Plan to attend!

Title: Awaken Your Heart; Be Empowered, Encouraged and Energized.

Dates: October 16, 17, 23, 24, with each session starting at noon, Pacific.

There is an exciting line-up of speakers this year, and the virtual platform makes attendance convenient. FCHN’s Marcy Shanks and Deb Fell-Carlson will be presenting this year. Check out the agenda here, and register!

FCHN promotes faith community nursing at Oregon Nurses Association Convention!

Posted on July 26, 2024 by - Nursing

FCHN promotes faith community nursing at Oregon Nurses Association Convention!

FCHN leaders hosted an exhibit booth at the Oregon Nurses Association Convention in Seaside from May 20-22, 2024. A “passport” encouraged nurse attendees from across Oregon to stop by each exhibit to engage in conversation. Nurses expressed appreciation for the information about faith community nursing – most were unaware of this practice specialty – and acknowledged the importance of nursing in the community as one way to improve healthcare access and equity, especially in rural areas. It was an exciting event and a great networking opportunity for both attendees and exhibitors.

FCHN promotes faith community nursing at Oregon Nurses Association Convention!

Hundreds of nurses from across Oregon joined colleagues at the ONA Convention in Seaside

Deb Fell-Carlson, FCHN Executive Director, reconnected with Susan E. King, RN, MS, CEN, FAAN

Deb Fell-Carlson, FCHN Executive Director, reconnected with Susan E. King, RN, MS, CEN, FAAN; the two worked together on a team to engage nurses in several nursing safety and health initiatives in the early 2000s. Susan King was the long-time executive director of the Oregon Nurses Association and remains an advocate for RN and NP practice in Oregon and nationally.

FCHN draws crowd at Lebanon Community School District Sources of Strength Event

Posted on July 26, 2024 by - Nursing

FCHN draws crowd at Lebanon Community School District Sources of Strength Event

(Left to right) Kimberlee Sorci, FCHN Outreach Volunteer, Tiffany Wadlow, Faith Community Nurse at Southside Christian Church, and Yesinia Rodriguez, Community Liaison with the Lebanon Community School District share a fun moment at the FCHN booth.

FCHN was honored to have a booth at the 2024 Sources of Strength Event hosted at the Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Santiam by the Lebanon Community School District on May 15, 2024. The event had over 400 attendees from all walks of life who were entertained and informed through a plethora of games and resource booths. The FCHN shared information with attendees to help increase awareness of the faith community nursing practice specialty. The FCHN entertained families with a game that encouraged participants to share what was important to them – or what they knew – about a specific health topic, depending on where the disk landed. The game was a hit with young and old!

FCHN draws crowd at Lebanon Community School District Sources of Strength Event

Susie Freeman, Health Minister with Am HaSefer – People of the Book, allows children to select a prize after participating in the game.

FCHN board members co-author an article in a peer-reviewed journal!

Posted on July 26, 2024 by - Nursing

FCHN board members co-author an article in a peer-reviewed journal!

Congratulations to Marcy Shanks and Deb Fell-Carlson for getting an article published in the April, 2024 issue of the International Journal of Faith Community Nursing! Marcy and Deb were part of the writing team, for an article chronicling the FCHN’s journey of writing, receiving, and implementing a grant. This grant was awarded to the Faith Community Health Network (FCHN) by the Intercommunity Health Network Coordinated Care Organization. Click on the link below to read about the FCHN’s amazing journey – the challenges, pitfalls, and successes – from being a coalition to a non-profit organization while also navigating a global pandemic.

Faith Community Nursing Case Study: SHARE Grant Procurement during the Covid-19 Epidemic

Linda Tedisch, FCHN Vice-President

Posted on June 14, 2024 by - Press Releases

Linda Tedisch, FCN Vice President

The Faith Community Health Network and colleagues and friends are saddened to lose a cherished colleague. Linda Tedisch, FCHN Vice-President, began her career at Albany General Hospital in Critical Care serving 20+ years, including several years as manager. She then went on to become the Clinical Manager of Samaritan’s newly-opened Urgent Care/Geary Street Clinic and Manager/Clinical Coordinator of Samaritan’s Medical Home Clinic in Lebanon, OR. In addition to serving on the FCHN Board of Directors, Linda had an active faith community nursing practice in Immanuel Lutheran Church in Albany, OR. We will miss her, but we know she trusted in the Lord with all her heart and knew He “had her back” up to the very end. Linda was born October 24, 1952 and passed June 11, 2024.

Oregon Center for Nursing Conference provides great networking opportunities!

Posted on May 28, 2024 by - Nursing

Oregon Center for Nursing Conference provides great networking opportunities!

The Faith Community Health Network’s attendance at the recent Oregon Center for Nursing (OCN) Conference hosted at RiverBend in Springfield, OR provided spectacular opportunities for networking and collaboration. There were approximately 130 attendees at the two-day conference, April 25-26, 2024. As the “Bag Sponsor,” the FCHN logo was on the conference bag issued to all attendees and we were able to put informational items in each bag. We also had an exhibit at the conference, and Marcy Shanks and Deb Fell-Carlson delivered a talk entitled “Using Collaborative Partnerships to Build a Nursing Network for Faith Community Nursing Engagement.” Many who stopped by our booth were unaware of faith community nursing and the team had rich opportunities to share about the importance of faith community nursing to the health of all Oregonians.

Oregon Center for Nursing Conference provides great networking opportunities!

Left to right, back row: Tiffany Wadlow, FCN, Southside Christian Church (Lebanon, OR) and FCHN Director of Engagement, Marcy Shanks, FCN, New Hope Church (Lebanon, OR) and FCHN Ethics Officer, Deb Fell-Carlson, FCN, Am HaSefer – People of the Book (Lebanon, OR) and FCHN Executive Director, Kiersten Erickson, CHW/Health Minister, Am HaSefer – People of the Book (Lebanon, OR) and FCHN Health Minister Voice

Front row, left to right: Tawni Pfaff, FCN, Am HaSefer – People of the Book (Lebanon, OR) and FCHN Education and Event Coordinator, and Susie Freeman, Health Minister, Am HaSefer – People of the Book (Lebanon, OR).

Oregon Center for Nursing Conference provides great networking opportunities!

Left to right: Tiffany Wadlow, FCN, Southside Christian Church (Lebanon, OR) and FCHN Director of Engagement, Kiersten Erickson, CHW/Health Minister, Am HaSefer – People of the Book (Lebanon, OR) and FCHN Health Minister Voice, Marcy Shanks, FCN, New Hope Church (Lebanon, OR) and FCHN Ethics Officer, and Deb Fell-Carlson, FCN, Am HaSefer – People of the Book (Lebanon, OR) and FCHN Executive Director

FCHN Display at OCN Conference

FCHN Display at OCN Conference

Oregon Center for Nursing Conference provides great networking opportunities!

Left to right: Deb Fell-Carlson, Kate Whalen, Marcy Shanks, and Jana Bitton, OCN Executive Director

The FCHN held a drawing for a free scholarship which was awarded to Kate Whalen, DNP, Associate Professor of Practice, Nursing/Portland ABSN Director Concordia University-St. Paul. We look forward – to having Kate in our class this fall!

Also in attendance but not pictured: Linda Tedisch, FCN, Immanuel Lutheran Church (Albany, OR) and FCHN Vice-President, Kimberlee Sorci, CHW, Am HaSefer – People of the Book (Lebanon, OR) and FCHN Outreach Volunteer, Louise Glenn, Health Minister, North Albany Community Church (Albany, OR).

Linn-Benton Community College Nursing Students Host 2nd Annual Community Health Poster Session

Posted on April 10, 2024 by - Nursing

Linn-Benton Community College Nursing Students Host 2nd Annual Community Health Poster Session

Representatives from the Faith Community Health Network joined other community leaders at the 2nd Annual Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC) Nursing Program Community Health Poster Session on March 13, 2024 at the LBCC Healthcare Occupations Center in Lebanon, OR.

Poster Downloads

Emily Rose, MSN, RN, LBCC Nursing Faculty, gave second-year nursing students a practical, real-world assignment designed to enhance knowledge about how social determinants (education access and quality, healthcare access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, social and community context, and economic stability) have an influence – either positive or negative – on the health of individuals and groups residing in our communities. This is important knowledge for these students regardless of their future nursing practice setting.

Each of five student teams assessed a vulnerable population in a local community and identified examples of existing resources available for their identified population as well as gaps and potential interventions to bridge those gaps. Each team developed a poster summarizing its work and prepared and delivered a 30-minute presentation on the findings.

The students’ presentations and posters were professional and informative. We all learned a great deal!
It was an excellent session!

Great job!

Team 1: Corvallis

Linn-Benton Community College Nursing Students Host 2nd Annual Community Health Poster Session
  • Sofia Nation
  • Haylee Savage
  • Methira "Mei" Lamthanthong
  • Christian Ramirez-Luna
  • Frank Rodriguez
  • Savanna Prather
  • Lisa Shields
  • Mariah Berghorst

Team 2: Albany

Team Albany Poster Project
  • Ketsaraporn "Pon" Dee
  • Hailey Biles
  • Sara Cole
  • Vanessa Hernandez
  • Ilima Kaauwai-Walker
  • Laura Medeiros
  • Michael Roche

Team 3: Philomath

Team Philomath Poster Project
  • Rebekah Nissen
  • Denise Betacandolo
  • Ethan Cullen
  • Kennedy Painter
  • Maggie Schrader
  • Jenefer Spitz
  • Autumn Williams

Team 4: Lebanon

Team Lebanon Poster Project
  • Grant Farley
  • Christina "Chris" Gooch
  • Mellisa Johnson
  • Morgan Maynard
  • Autumn Mitchell
  • Alexis Patton
  • Michelle Van De Hey

Team 5: Sweet Home

Team Sweet Home Poster Project
  • Nicki Collins
  • Heather Welch
  • Hailey Iverson
  • Shayla Pham
  • Jessica "Jess" Van Leuven

Oregon Nurses Foundation Brunch – a valuable networking event!

Posted on February 27, 2024 by - Nursing

As a part of our outreach effort, the Faith Community Health Network sponsored a table at the annual Oregon Nurses Foundation Fundraising Brunch on February 25, 2024.

As a part of our outreach effort, the Faith Community Health Network sponsored a table at the annual Oregon Nurses Foundation Fundraising Brunch on February 25, 2024. Following a delicious meal, the keynote speaker, Jennifer Mensik-Kennedy, ANA President, spoke on the theme “Creating Diverse Nursing Leadership.” She responded to questions about ANA’s national efforts to create a reimbursement mechanism for nursing care, including nurses who provide care in the community.

Our Scholarship recipient delivered a powerful presentation about her life, what this scholarship means to her, and how important it is to keep these scholarships alive. There was plenty of time for networking with attendees from other organizations, including the Oregon Center for Nursing, Oregon Nurses Association, Bushnell University, and more.

Our sponsorship paid for our logo on the marketing materials and a designated table reserved for our attendees. Faith Community Health Network attendees were Marcy Shanks, Ethics Officer, Tawni Pfaff, Education and Event Coordinator, Deb Fell-Carlson, Executive Director, and Kiersten Erickson, Health Minister Voice. Anita DeAnda, Gretchen Koch, and Alicia Bublitz attended as FCHN guests.

As a part of our outreach effort, the Faith Community Health Network sponsored a table at the annual Oregon Nurses Foundation Fundraising Brunch on February 25, 2024.

Congratulations, St. Martins’ Episcopal Church Homeless Outreach!

Posted on February 27, 2024 by - In the News

Congratulations, St. Martins’ Episcopal Church Homeless Outreach!

Wendy Fierro, Health Minister, accepted the Faith Community Health Network’s first annual Matthew 25:35-40 Award on behalf of St. Martins’ Episcopal Church Homeless Outreach at the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Awards Gala on February 23, 2024. Marcy Shanks, Ethics Officer with FCHN presented the award. Also on hand were Linda Tedisch, FCHN Vice President and Chaplain Wes Sedlacek, Reverend Carol Sedlacek and Deacon Keehna Sture representing St. Martins. This award recognizes a faith community in Linn, Benton, or Lincoln County, Oregon for consistently selfless service to the community throughout the previous year.

See more photos of this event at the Lebanon, Oregon Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.

Congratulations, St. Martins’ Episcopal Church Homeless Outreach!