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While tearfully watching her grandmother die in a nursing home, Carol Whitney knew without a doubt that she wanted to help others. She became a parish nurse.

For the past six years, Whitney has worked at Hughes UMC in Wheaton, organizing regular blood pressure screenings, visiting shut-ins, providing health education and programs to the congregation.

Parish nurses are often asked how their role differs from other nurses. They are registered nurses with additional training to serve in local congregations. The role of a parish nurse stretches from providing preventive care to being a personal health counselor with a holistic approach.

“I love my work as a parish nurse because it allows me to be a nurse for the whole person – body, mind and spirit,” said Whitney.

“We are facing tremendous health care issues,” said Sandy Ferguson, Social Justice Director of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. “Parish nursing is a program about intervention and prevention.”

Susan Roach, parish nurse and chairman of Congregational Care Ministries at Metropolitan Memorial UMC in Washington, D.C., educates the congregation about current health issues, gives referrals, visits members in hospitals and homes, conducts blood pressure screenings and helps older adults experiencing life transitions, such as moving into a nursing home.

Like Roach, Whitney also assists people who are in the midst of transition. “I often help to navigate the various levels of health care from hospitals to nursing homes and home care as their physical conditions warrant,” she said.

Whitney recalls childhood mem-ories of times spent with her grandmother and is grateful she had the opportunity to witness her grandmother’s strong faith in God in the time of her chronic illness.
She also admired her grandmother’s influence on others as she touched many lives with her positive attitude and faith.

“My grandmother was a big influence on both my nursing career and my entire faith journey,” she said.

Whitney believes that God has called her to minister to others. Her care is not limited to educating the congregation; she also ministers to the church members by praying for and with them, especially in times of despair and health uncertainties.

Ferguson, Whitney and Roach are working together to bring awareness to local congregations in the Baltimore-Washington Conference about a holistic approach to health care through parish nursing.
“What we are doing is in alignment with John Wesley’s awareness of health and wholeness,” said Ferguson.

Roach, who is also a parish nurse coordinator at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, works closely with clergy since parish nursing is a sprit-led ministry. She believes that collaboration between parish nurses and clergy is essential for its success in the local congregations.

Last year, Metropolitan offered bereavement classes to provide support and assistance to those whose loved ones had passed away.

A prayer shawl ministry emerged to offer wellness and comfort to those suffering with chronic illnesses at the church.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the adult population, aged 65 or older, is expected to double in size within the next 25 years. One out of five Americans (72 million) will be 65 years or older by the year 2030. The fastest growing group in the United States is currently older adults who are 85 years and older.

Roach recently attended an empowering ministry sponsored by the General Board of Global Ministry that addressed health issues for clergy, faith communities and communities at-large.

Roach, Ferguson and Whitney plan on networking with other parish nurses in the Baltimore-Washington Conference to bring good health and wholeness through the parish nursing ministry.