I've got the message. St. Luke's Hospital of Kansas City and The Greater Kansas City Health Ministries Association started an educational program to prepare Ministers of Health and Parish Nurses. They graduated their first class of eleven nurses in June of 1994 and I was one of the graduating class. Raytown Chrsitian Church started their Parish Nurses Ministry in September 1994 with blood pressure screening clinics and have continued to have screening clinics on the first Sunday of every month. They feel churches can play a vital role in blood pressure control because they are part of the community and are accessible.
Churches have rooms for education classes and most publish some type of newsletter.
They reach the whole family rather that just a section of the family like a school does. Plus people are more apt to change their behavior through a support group. And that support group can be throught the community, the church and parish nurses. We try to develop packets of information for people having surgery and do pre-op teaching. It is my belief that when a person who visits a doctor or has to have surgery they need to be well- informed health care consumer, regardless what type of insurance they have.