Author: Clark Five Design

Deb Fell-Carlson Receives 2025 Norma Small Outstanding Coordinator in Faith Health Ministry Award

Posted on February 12, 2026 by - Press Releases

The Health Ministries Association (HMA) proudly announces Deb Fell-Carlson, BSN, RN, MSPH, as the 2025 recipient of the Norma Small Outstanding Coordinator in Faith Health Ministry Award. This award honors a distinguished HMA member who directs a regional network or program and demonstrates exceptional resourcefulness in implementing innovative teaching strategies that address diverse needs within faith communities and health systems. The award is given in memory of Norma Small, PhD, RN, whose leadership and vision continue to inspire excellence in faith-based health ministry.

Fell-Carlson exemplifies the spirit of this award through her transformative leadership as Executive Director of the Faith Community Health Network (FCHN), a nonprofit she founded to equip and support Faith Community Nurses and Health Ministers across Oregon and beyond. Her visionary coordination has united nurses from varied faith traditions to promote whole-person health, advanced legislative change for community-based nursing reimbursement, and expanded educational access through the online delivery of health education programs, including The Westberg Institute’s Foundations of Faith Community Nursing course. Her inclusive teaching methods, collaborative approach, and commitment to addressing diverse spiritual and cultural health needs have strengthened faith-health partnerships at local, state, and national levels.

Through her innovation, advocacy, and unwavering faith, Deb Fell-Carlson continues to embody the legacy of Norma Small—bridging healthcare and faith communities with compassion, creativity, and transformative leadership.

Health Ministries Association
Email: info@hmassoc.org
Website: www.hmassoc.org

Deb Fell-Carlson Receives 2025 Norma Small Outstanding Coordinator in Faith Health Ministry Award

Members of FCHN leadership team selected to present at the OHSU Forum on Rural Population Health

Posted on January 26, 2026 by - Nursing

FCHN received a generous pilot grant from Intercommunity Health Network Coordinated Care Organization to place a registered nurse in a senior and disabled apartment building for two hours, twice a month. They began that effort in January, 2025 with Tawni Pfaff, Faith Community Nurse filling that volunteer role. The grant continues through 2026, but the findings have been amazing. Marcy Shanks, FCHN Board Chair, and Deb Fell-Carlson, FCHN Executive Director, have been selected to present their interim findings at the Forum on Rural Population Health, to be held virtually on May 14 & 15, 2026. Their session title and summary:

Integrating healthcare into housing: a preliminary look at the impact of embedded nursing on well-being and care coordination

Explore the preliminary findings from a small group of passionate faith community nurses in east Linn County who are penetrating systemic barriers to healthcare access and equity by staffing a nurse-led “health resource center” in a low-income senior housing complex a few hours a month. Coordination and collaboration with local faith communities, the local housing authority, coordinated care organization, and health system, as well as educational institutions and other community-based organizations are bringing much needed services to vulnerable residents, almost half of whom were homeless prior to moving in. Learn about the implementation process that led to real-world nursing interventions preventing unnecessary ambulance calls and hospitalizations, encouraging important contacts with primary care providers, and connecting residents to resources for health-related social needs.

Registration will be open soon. Find out more and sign up for Forum updates at this link: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-office-of-rural-health/forum-rural-population-health

Faith Community Health Network graduates 11 in 2025

Posted on January 12, 2026 by - Nursing, Press Releases

Faith Community Health Network graduates 11 from the 2025 Foundations of Faith Community Nursing and Health Ministry Course!

Faith Community Health Network graduates 11 from the 2025 Foundations of Faith Community Nursing and Health Ministry Course!

The Faith Community Health Network was honored to graduate 10 new faith community nurses and one health minister in our 2025 Westberg Institute Foundations of Faith Community Nursing and Health Ministry Course that wrapped up on November 24, 2025 with a Blessing of the Hands, Pinning, & Dedication Ceremony at Santiam Place in Lebanon, OR on November 30, 2025. Out-of-area graduates and family were able to join on Zoom.

Students were from all over the country, including Billings, MT, northern California, and Memphis, TN, but we also had six local graduates who will engage in ministry here in Oregon. Because we offer our classes on Zoom, we can accommodate attendees from anywhere.

We tried a new format for our 2025 course, with shorter class days (8a-1p Pacific) but more of them (11 sessions) over six weeks on Mondays and Tuesdays. We have hosted the class on six days over six weeks in the past, from 8a-5p, on Zoom, also on Mondays and Tuesdays. The students appreciated the shorter days so we will likely adopt this same format for 2026.

The entire Faith Community Health Network Board of Directors was involved in hosting the November 30, 2025 celebration and we had wonderful attendance from family, friends, and local community members.

Watch for information on our 2026 Foundations of Faith Community Nursing and Health Ministry Course which will be posted soon!

Dedication Ceremony Program

Tying it all together and moving forward: A forum to explore faith community nursing in professional practice – a resounding success!

Posted on November 28, 2025 by - Nursing

Over 20 faith community nurses and health ministers gathered on Zoom on November 24, 2025 for a lively session of problem-solving and sharing!

Using the evidence-based 2024 Westberg Institute Foundations of Faith Community Nursing curriculum, this facilitated forum engaged attendees in discussion to amplify practical actions necessary to develop a sustainable faith community nursing practice. Attendees discussed the nuts and bolts of launching a faith community practice and grappled with challenges, discussing solutions and innovative ideas for various settings. The importance and benefits of measuring outcomes and professional involvement at the local, state, and national level was discussed.

This forum was a fun and valuable networking experience for faith community nurses looking to reenergize their practice as well as those starting out. This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by Oregon Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation and attendees earned 2.5 contact hours.

What has the Faith Community Health Network been up to this summer – and what lies ahead?

Posted on October 20, 2025 by - Nursing

We have had a nurse embedded at a senior and disabled apartment building for two hours twice a month since January, 2025. This has been an exciting learning opportunity for us, and, as it turns out, a welcome healthcare access point for the residents! We are there to answer questions that have likely prevented emergency room visits. We had Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance representatives in for an educational session and learned about Medicare fraud and how important it is to check your explanation of benefits (EOB). Shortly after that class, Deb identified a fraudulent claim on her own Medicare EOB – something she may not have noticed had it not been for that class!

Example of medicare fraud

We have arranged several different services for the residents there, including foot care, visits by the Samaritan Basic Care Van, and an “Age Café” hosted by representatives of the Older Adult Behavioral Health Initiative.

We toiled for months on legislative efforts to gain reimbursement for nurses in the community. Our bill did not pass, but the Oregon Nurses’ Association (ONA) bill, HR2789, sponsored by Representative Travis Nelson DID pass, and we are participating in rule-making alongside the ONA.

We exhibited at the OSU Gerontology Conference in April, 2025, and Marcy Shanks, Kiersten Erickson, and Deb Fell-Carlson presented “Reviving Faith Community Nursing in Rural Oregon” to a small, but very engaged, group of attendees. We had lots of traffic at our exhibit and were able to share information, as well as gain valuable information from other exhibitors and attendees. This conference is annual, and is well-worth attending.

In the meantime, recruiting for our Foundations of Faith Community Nursing and Health Ministry Course has been underway, and we have 10 attendees set to start on Monday, October 20! Attendees are from far and wide! We have four from Linn and Benton Counties and one from Washington County, all in Oregon; two from California, one from Tennessee, one from Washington state, and one from Montana. We love having different perspectives!

The Foundations course ends in mid-November and will culminate with our new offering, “Tying it all together and moving forward: A forum to explore faith community nursing in professional practice.” We have several seasoned FCNs signed up from across the country, and our less-experienced FCNs will be able to glean wonderful practice information and resources from those who have been in practice. This class is part of the Foundations curriculum for our 2025 attendees, but we are encouraging all FCNs who want to gain expertise to join us for this! Contact hours will be awarded for attendance.

That’s it for now! Please feel free to donate to our efforts by sending a check to the Faith Community Health Network, PO Box 2466, Lebanon, OR 97355 or by using the DONATE button at the top of our Home page. Grants will likely be hard to come by going forward, so our existence will depend on your generosity! Thank you in advance.

Upcoming Cultural Competency Session: Angel Harris

Posted on August 25, 2025 by - Nursing

We are looking forward to hearing what Angel Harris has to share in her upcoming cultural competency session scheduled for August 28, 2025 at 5p!

Angel is a faith community nurse, well-known in Oregon for her work in support of equity. This two hour session will be held in Lebanon, OR, face-to-face only, and meets the cultural competency requirement required for RN re-licensure. Space is limited. For more information and to register, click here.

This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by Oregon Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Approval valid through 08/28/2027 – OCEAN ID #2025-37. Due to ANCC requirements, students must attend the entire session. Because of the highly interactive nature of the offering, we will allow a student to miss no more than ten minutes. A course completion certificate cannot be granted unless the RN student meets these attendance requirements.

Faith Community Health Network launches pilot project in senior housing complex!

Posted on March 1, 2025 by - Press Releases

Faith Community Health Network launches pilot project in senior housing complex!

The Faith Community Health Network received funds to embark on a pilot project at GardenView Apartments in Lebanon, OR.

Faith community nurses will staff a Health Resource Center there for a few hours a month. The FCHN purchased the necessary equipment to equip a small consultation room. Linn-Benton Community College Nursing Students were on hand to help with the consents and intake assessments for residents who want to participate in the project. The faith community nurses are completely independent and serve autonomously within the Oregon State Board of Nursing guidelines as unpaid professionals.

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.

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!