June 10, 2015 Canton - In a Dedication Ceremony held at St. Mary’s School May 9, six new parish nurses were commissioned for parish health ministry by Mercy Care for the Adirondacks. The commissioned nurses are: Two other nurses will complete the program in summer 2015: Marie-Paul (Missy) Heylan for St. Mary’s in Potsdam and Barbara Teriele for St. Mary’s in Canton. Family and friends attended to honor the nurses for completing 32 contact hours of training based on the International Parish Nurse Resource Center curriculum. Parish nurses offer health education and counseling, assistance in obtaining community services, help with understanding diagnoses, medications and diagnostic tests, health screening, spiritual care and much more. The parish nurse does not do hands-on nursing or duplicate what is available through the public health nurse, but does bring her nursing experience and her faith to the service of others. Mercy Care for the Adirondacks, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, prepares parish nurses by offering the “Foundations in Faith Community Nursing” course in communities across the North Country. Mercy Care has prepared more than 50 parish nurses for parish health ministry in northern New York since its establishment in 2007. Mercy Sister Catherine Cummings, Ed.D., R.N. directs Mercy Care’s Parish Nurse and Friendship Volunteer Programs. She is qualified as a Parish Nurse Educator. “These volunteer nurses are so generous to dedicate themselves to practicing holistic health for individuals and the community using their nursing knowledge combined with spiritual care,” Sister Catherine said. “The focus of their work is on the intentional care of the spirit, assisting the members of a faith community to maintain and/or regain wholeness in body, mind, and spirit.” Mercy Care assists churches and communities in the recruitment of volunteer parish nurses, provides education and training, networking opportunities, health education materials and program information suitable for use and publication by churches and community organizations, and serves as a resource for parish nurses. Mercy Care carries out its mission to extend mercy to elders in order to enhance the fullness of their lives through a Friendship Volunteer Program, a Parish Nurse Program, and an Education and Advocacy Program. In addition to its Parish Nurse Volunteers, Mercy Care has over 100 Friendship volunteers assisting elders in the Tri-lakes. Mercy Care is supported solely with charitable contributions and grants. Mercy Care can be reached at 185 Old Military Road, Lake Placid, NY 12946, by calling Donna Beal, Executive Director, at 523-5580, or by e-mail at dbeal@adkmercy.org Further information is available at Mercy Care’s web site at http://www.adkmercy.org.
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