Category: Nursing

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

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.

Busy Spring Ahead!

Posted on February 6, 2024 by - Nursing

Busy Spring Ahead

Greetings, all!

Spring is always busy for the faith community nursing profession, and this year is no exception. Here is what we have on the docket so far. We hope to see you at some or all of these events!

Distinguished Service Award Banquet, February 23, 2024

Representatives from the Faith Community Health Network will attend the Lebanon Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Awards banquet on February 23rd, 2024. We will be presenting our Matthew 25:35-40 Award for the first time this year! This award recognizes a faith community in Linn, Benton, or Lincoln County, Oregon for consistently selfless service to the community throughout the previous year. We hope you can join us! Register for the banquet here – and let us know what YOUR faith community is doing! Maybe yours will be our award recipient next year!

Matthew 25.35-40 Award presented by Faith Community Health Network

Oregon Nurses Foundation Brunch, February 25, 2024

The Faith Community Health Network is sponsoring a table at the annual Fundraising Brunch on February 25, 2024, with the theme “Creating Diverse Nursing Leadership.” There is still time to purchase individual tickets if you missed the announcement and are interested in attending. Learn more about the event here.

Westberg International Faith Community Nursing Symposium/Caring for the Human Spirit Conference, April 15-17, 2024 -VIRTUAL

Two of our team will be presenting at the Westberg International Faith Community Nursing Symposium! We will share our experience navigating the process to write up a project and submit it for publication. This is always a terrific conference, so we encourage you to join us there. It promises to be an inspirational and transformative three-day conference and is designed to provide chaplains, nurses, and other spiritual care providers with the skills, best practices, and research to enhance spiritual care practice and ministry. This is a virtual event that will be held April 15-17, 2024 and registration is OPEN! Register here!

Oregon Center for Nursing – Nursing Practice Transitions Conference, April 25-26, 2024

The Oregon Center for Nursing – Nursing Practice Transitions Conference is an in-person event and will be held April 25-26, 2024 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center RiverBend in Springfield, OR. Two of our team have submitted to present there – we should hear next week if we have been selected – and we will have an exhibit booth there. Join us! Learn more and register for the conference here!

2024 Oregon Nurses Association Convention and House of Delegates, May 20-22, 2024

The Oregon Nurses Association Conference is coming up in Seaside. Register for this conference here. We are in the process of securing exhibit space at this venue and hope to see you there!

International Journal of Faith Community Nursing – watch for us in an upcoming issue!

Finally, two nurses on our team are co-authors with the esteemed Dr. Deborah Ziebarth on a case study article that will be submitted to the International Journal of Faith Community Nursing soon. This is an open source journal, so you can read articles of interest, watch for our article, and submit your own article for publication to this respected peer-reviewed journal by navigating to this link. We are thankful for Dr. Ziebarth’s patience and mentorship as we learn to navigate this publication process.

Remember to sign up for 5-2-1-0 and get involved in your community!

See previous blog post and our events for details! See you soon!

2023 Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Course wraps up!

Posted on November 27, 2023 by - Nursing

2024 Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Course wraps up!

Our most recent Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Course wrapped up on November 14, 2023 with seven registered nurses and two health ministers completing the course! We were blessed to have the expertise of 15 guest presenters throughout the six days, which greatly enriched the course.

We encourage our graduates to plug in to their local networks, many of which can be found on the Westberg Community Platform. We are excited to see where this knowledge takes these passionate individuals!

Bottom left:

  • Amanda Huston, RN, Faith Community Nurse, St. James Catholic Church, McMinnville, OR
  • Sadie Blau, Health Minister, No current affiliation, Lebanon, OR

Second row, left:

  • Kim Hawkins, RN, Faith Community Nurse, Battle Ground Health Care, Battleground, WA
  • Judi Imig, RN, Faith Community Nurse, Salem Alliance Church, Salem, OR
  • Julie Vaniman, Faith Community Nurse, First United Methodist Church of Olympia, Olympia, WA

Third row, left:

  • Myra Hurt, RN, Faith Community Nurse, Ogilville Christian Church, Columbus, IN
  • Linda Cutts, RN, Faith Community Nurse, No current affiliation, Walla Walla, WA
  • Patty O’Day, RN, Faith Community Nurse, Family Assistance and Resource Center, Sweet Home, OR

Top row, left:

  • Tawni Pfaff, Faith Community Nurse, Lead Educator, Zoom Co-Host, Faith Community Health Network
  • Deb Fell-Carlson, Faith Community Nurse, Lead Educator/Course Coordinator, Faith Community Health Network
  • Geeta Barr, Health Minister, Am HaSefer – People of the Book, Lebanon, OR/Salem, OR

We will be adjusting the Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Course schedule for 2024. Past attendees overwhelmingly want the course to continue on the Zoom platform, so we will stay with Zoom for 2024. The first two days of class will be November 11 & 12. We will meet on Monday, November 18 & Monday, November 25 for class days three and four, and will wrap up with the fifth and final days of class on December 2 & 3, 2024. We will also be offering the class at NO CHARGE for Oregon residents in Linn, Benton, and Lincoln Counties.

Spread the word and save the dates!

Flying in to Fall

Posted on September 27, 2023 by - Nursing

Here we are at the end of September! Things have not slowed down for this busy team of passionate nurses and health ministers! Community health assessments are underway in several of our faith communities. This is an interesting project – and in most cases, full of surprises! – for those involved. We will be sharing some of those discoveries in our grant update to the Intercommunity Health Network Coordinated Care Organization’s Delivery Systems Transformation Team. That presentation is scheduled for later in October. More to come.

The Faith Community Health Network hosted the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce Friday Greeters on Friday, September 22, 2023. We had a great turnout and were able to let the business community know about our need to bring nurses into service in our faith communities and beyond. Deb delivered a peppy 15-minute presentation which was followed by a lively question and answer session and introductions and announcements all around.

We have an excellent educational session lined up for our September 27, 2023 meeting. Check it out on the Events page on our website. We also try to post them on the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce and on Eventbrite. Follow the Faith Community Health Network on Eventbrite to get notified when we schedule an educational offering!

We will be presenting at the Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital Auxiliary Board Fall Luncheon and Annual Meeting on Friday, November 3, 2023 and are excited to be able to share our vision for faith community nursing with these active and passionate volunteers.

We are in the final days of registration for our annual Foundations of Faith Community Nursing and Health Ministry Course. If you are planning to attend and have not yet registered, please do so right away! We will need a couple of weeks of lead time to have books shipped to you, so registration will be closing in early October. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/foundations-of-faith-community-nursing-and-health-ministry-course-6-days-tickets-645368333057?aff=ebdsoporgprofile