Author: Clark Five Design

FCHN hosts first post-COVID in-person graduation

Posted on December 16, 2024 by - Nursing

Foundations Course Graduates - 2024

From top left, back row: Wendy Fierro (HM – 2021), McKayla Powell (FCN – 2024), Linn County, OR; Melissa Kingery (FCN – 2024), Linn County, OR; Anna Eddleman (FCN – 2024), Linn County, OR; Tawni Pfaff, (FCN – 2020), Gretchen Koch (FCN – 2024), Marion County, OR; Ingrid Siadal (HM – 2024), Polk County, OR; Rabbi Jonah Freeman (HM – 2022), Rachel Jandera (FCN – 2024), Marion County, OR; Front row from left: Geeta Barr (HM – 2023), Marion County, OR; Jenn Rasor (FCN – 2024), Linn County, OR; Diana Cericola (FCN – 2024), Lincoln County, OR; Tiffany Wadlow (FCN – 2020), Linn County, OR; Kimberlee Sorci (HM – 2024), Linn County, OR; Marcy Shanks (FCN – 2020), Linn County, OR; Angel Harris (FCN – 2024), Benton County, OR; Kiersten Erickson (HM – 2021), Linn County, OR

FCHN hosts first post-COVID in-person graduation and dedication ceremony to honor current and COVID-era Foundations of Faith Community Nursing and Health Ministry Course graduates in December, 2024!

FCHN hosted an in-person ceremony to honor graduates of the 2024 Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Course on December 8, 2024 at Santiam Place in Lebanon, OR. Family and friends were invited to attend the ceremony. This was the first in-person event of its kind since 2018 when FCHN hosted the first Lebanon-area Foundations course. FCHN leadership took the opportunity to honor local graduates from classes graduating during or soon after COVID, as well. The ceremony was well attended and was a great time of fellowship, recognition, and sharing.

The 2024 class graduated twelve eager individuals who will be embarking on a spiritual journey that will take them deep into the intersection of faith and health! Seven past graduates were also honored, several of whom have been serving on the FCHN Board of Directors since its inception.

The course, using the Westberg Institute for Faith Community Nursing curriculum is offered by the Faith Community Health Network each fall and delves into everything from spiritual care in a variety of settings and faiths to health promotion and transitional care. Registered nurses gained knowledge to guide them in launching a faith community nursing practice in their setting, which could be a faith community, an apartment complex, a homeless outreach, or some other setting where nursing care is offered in the community. Health ministers learned about what it means to serve on a health ministry team and were introduced to local resources. Check out the 2024 graduates here and mark your calendar for the 2025 course.

This activity was approved by the Nursing Division of the Spiritual Care Association for 38 contact hours of continuing nursing education. Nursing Division of the Spiritual Care Association is accredited as an approver of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The curriculum is 36.5 hours with an additional 1.5 hours added to address Oregon State Board of Nursing topics relevant to faith community nursing practice.

This Foundations of Faith Community Nursing course is based on the curriculum developed through the Westberg Institute for Faith Community Nursing, which curriculum is owned by the Spiritual Care Association of New York, NY, 500 7th Ave, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10018.</em

National Family Caregiver Month

Posted on October 31, 2024 by - Nursing

As the Baby Boomer generation has aged, the U.S. has seen a significant increase in the population of adults over age 60.

About 25% of Americans are family caregivers and spend an average of 24 hours per week providing care. There are many costs to caregiving. These include direct costs such as costs from paying for care or loss of work, emotional costs from stress, personal costs from relationship strain, and more. If you are a family caregiver for a loved one, please know you are not alone! There are many resources, federal and local, that can offer you support, education, and other assistance. The National Institute on Aging provides numerous free resources, articles, and workbooks to help you learn more about caregiving: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/caregiving. The American Association of Retired People (AARP) also has resources for family caregivers at https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/.

Every county in the U.S. receives funding to provide supportive services to family caregivers! Oregon’s Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) helps people of all ages, incomes and disabilities learn about long-term support options in their communities. The ADRC helps individuals, families and professionals find resources to address current or future long-term needs. To contact a local ADRC, call 855-ORE-ADRC (855-673-2372) or click here to go to Oregon’s ADRC website.

Ask your congregation’s faith community nurse for more information!

Happy Fall, 2024!

Posted on October 11, 2024 by - Nursing

Happy Fall, 2024!

We have been in prayer for our colleagues, friends, and family in the Eastern US. Such loss and suffering. Please continue to be in prayer. If you are looking to donate, you can do so through Samaritan’s Purse, the American Red Cross, or you can seek out a church in one of the hard hit areas and reach out directly to see if you can help more locally. Even if you cannot donate, please be in prayer.

It has been a busy few weeks for the Faith Community Health Network!

We had an opportunity to partner with another community organization to distribute local produce and fresh frozen chickens to families in need. It was an honor to be able to bless those families! Kiersten Erickson, Health Minister with FCHN is also employed as a Community Health Worker with Crossroads Communities – an amazing organization making a difference in our community and beyond!

2024 LBCC Lecture

Marcy Shanks and Deb Fell-Carlson partnered to deliver information on community health nursing to Linn-Benton Community College 2nd year nursing students. This information will enrich their clinical experience and prepare them to take a deep dive into community health challenges and solutions in an upcoming term. See the article on the poster sessions from last March.

Marcy and Deb at DST Symposium

Marcy Shanks and Deb Fell-Carlson represented FCHN at the IHN-CCO Delivery Systems Transformation Pilot Symposium on 10/10/2024. They shared results from the FCHN’s most recent grant, “Faith Communities Engaging Health” and chatted with other community partners who had also gathered to share their results. It was an excellent evening of networking and learning.

Finally, preparations for the 2024 Foundations of Faith Community Nursing and Health Ministry Course are underway and we are excited! Course registration is open for a few more days but we may need to close it if we reach capacity. Sign up today if you are interested in attending! Check out our Foundations Course landing page.

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.