Parish Health Panel Meet and Greet

The Parish Health Panel start up meeting is March 19th, at 9:15 to 9:45 in the Parish Hall with muffins and coffee. We invite new members!

Here is the details repeated for your convenience.

Health promotion and disease and injury prevention has been a role of Anglican parishes since their inception. I am volunteering to organize a panel of health care providers willing to be a part of a parish health panel that also serves our school. No activities would be too lengthy; no one would be over committed. Instead, we would all work together to improve parish health across our age groups, using our current skill sets.

If you don’t know me yet, I am a chalicer, chair of the Green Team. and retired Germanna nursing professor. I have an MSN in nursing, an active RN license, current BLS certification, current practice liability insurance, and will have a PR instructor certification this spring. Prior to that, I worked as a step-down nurse then staff educator at Fauquier Health. Warrenton is my home town. My vision for a parish health ministry at St. James' church and school:

• Weekly newsletter entry, one paragraph in length, that works through topics of interest.

• Those confusing blood pressure number... confusing blood fat numbers... confusing nutrition guidelines

• Preventing falls

• Making sense of research to prevent Alzheimer’s, stroke, and heart disease

• Making sense of a drug monograph and how to read a prescription label

• Groupings of prevention topics of interest to age groups: children, adolescents, young adults, young parents, middle adults, seniors, aging in place.

• Monthly newsletter article of a few paragraphs that says what the panel has done and plans to do.

• Regular CPR, AED, and First AID courses on adults, children, and infants.

• Babysitting course for youth groups with CPR certification.

• Hands on course on the use of assistive devices—canes, walkers, and wheelchairs.

• Hands on course on how to transfer your loved one with restricted mobility. Although everyone is busy, if each of us can provide a small task, together we will have a parish health ministry. Please let me know your interest, even if limited, at ruth.fugee@gmail.com. We can set up a phone call discussion if you wish.

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