UPMC Mercy
Sister M. Ferdinand Clark Auditorium
1400 Locust Street, Second Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15219-5144 (Uptown)
As an important educational partner of the Westberg Institute for Faith Community Nursing, a ministry of Church Health, Pittsburgh Mercy is an approved provider of the “Foundations of Faith Community Nursing” course. This four-day, 34-hour preparation curriculum is a hybrid course that includes in-person and online learning. The majority of the course modules are taught in person by our approved faculty. The remaining modules involve related, self-directed, online learning.
This is designed for registered nurses, other health care professionals, and laypersons who are interested in:
Promoting health, wellness, and spirituality in their faith communities
Beginning or growing a visitation ministry
Coordinating volunteers.
Since 2001, we’ve educated and commissioned more than 400 registered nurses as faith community nurses and hundreds of others – including licensed practical nurses, social workers, physicians, and clergy – as health ministers.
The course covers the seven main roles of the faith community nurse:
Coordinator of volunteers
Developer of support groups
Health advocate
Health counselor
Health educator
Integrator of faith and health
Resource and referral agent.
The course modules include:
Accessing resources
Advocacy
Assessment
Beginning your ministry
Behavioral health (mental health and addiction)
Care coordination
Communication and collaboration
Documenting practice
Ethics
Family violence
Health, healing, and wholeness
Health promotion
History and philosophy of faith community nursing and health ministry
Legal aspects
Prayer
Self-care
Spiritual care
Suffering, grief, and loss.
Course modules are taught by qualified faith community nurse educators and subject matter experts in the respective fields of practice.
Registered nurses who complete the course in its entirety will be commissioned as faith community nurses and receive 34 contact hours and a pin. The cost for registered nurses is $395 per person. In order to receive all 34 continuing education credits (CEs), nurses must complete all required in-person and online learning.
Laypersons who complete the course will be commissioned as health ministers and receive a pin and a certificate. The cost for laypersons and others is $200 per person.
Course materials, continental breakfast, and parking are included for all participants..
Limited, partial scholarship funds and special group rates for church groups of two or more people are available. Please inquire.
The class size is limited to 20 participants.
To be eligible for the early registration discount, registration and payment must be postmarked by August 22, 2019.
The deadline to register for this event is September 9, 2019.
For more information about the Foundations of Faith Community Nursing course, please contact us at 412-232-5815.
Continuing Education Credits
UPMC is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC’s) Commission on Accreditation. UPMC and ANCC do not endorse any commercial products as a result of the continuing education (CE) activity.
“The simplest and most practical lesson I know … is to resolve to be good today, but better tomorrow.”
Catherine McAuley, RSM, Founder of the Sisters of Mercy
Pittsburgh Mercy Health Ministry Dinner & Gathering
Health Ministry: Success in Church and Community
November 9, 2018
UPMC Mercy
Sister M. Ferdinand Clark Auditorium
1400 Locust Street, Second Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15219-5144 (Uptown)
Registration for the inaugural Pittsburgh Mercy Health Ministry Dinner & Gathering begins at 5 p.m., followed by dinner and program from 6 to 8 p.m.
The event will provide continuing education, resources, and networking opportunities to individuals who are interested in starting or enhancing health ministries in their faith communities, as well as in the general public. Attendees will consider what is working and not working within their ministries, how they can acquire needed resources and people, how they can rejuvenate an established health ministry, and what established programs can help them care for people in need within their faith communities.
The gathering is expected to draw parish and faith community nurses, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified registered nurse practitioners, health ministers, clergy, pastoral and social ministers, physicians, health and social service professionals, licensed professional counselors, health care educators, nursing students, seminarians, and others interested in promoting whole-person health.
Speakers for the event are:
Kathy Conrad, MSN, MA, RN-BC, Faith Community Nurse, Zion Lutheran Church, Penn Hills
Consuelo Cruz-Martinez, BA, Health Minister, with a philosophy and theology background, St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Pittsburgh (Beechview)
Joyce Ott, DNP, CNS, SSHC, RN-BC, Faith Community Nurse, St. Francis Cabrini Parish, Aliquippa
Kelly Rupp, BSBA, RN, Faith Community Nurse, Ingomar United Presbyterian Church, Franklin Park.
Speakers have no relevant financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose in regard to Pittsburgh Mercy Parish Nurse & Health Ministry Program.
Upon completion of the symposium, participants will be able to:
Describe ways to approach pastors, congregants, and community members in need and to serve as a resource to them.
Identify strategies to develop, encourage, and sustain a positive health ministry team.
Define ways the church/faith community can identify and address vital needs of those within the surrounding community.
Explore practical examples of volunteer team recruitment to provide whole-person health and wellness.
The cost is $40 for registered nurses who wish to receive continuing education credits* and $30 for those who do not want credits. The cost for undergraduate nursing students, seminarians, religious, and clergy is $20. Dinner and free parking in UPMC Mercy’s Locust Street Parking Garage will be provided to all participants.
Overnight accommodations are available at the Martina Renewal Center, 5244 Clarwin Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15229 (West View) at a reasonable cost. For details, contact Sister Donna Smith at 412-931-9766 or at http://martinacenter.com/contact-us/.
Registration is accepted by U.S. mail only. Seating capacity is limited. Early registration is encouraged. Registration ends Friday, October 26, 2018.
*The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation (ANCC). Participants who attend the entire session and complete an evaluation form will be awarded a certificate and 1.5 CEs. UPMC and ANCC do not endorse any commercial products as a result of the CE activity.
Health Ministry Education
The Pittsburgh Mercy Parish Nurse & Health Ministry Program offers creative heath ministry workshops and education programs for laypersons and health professionals who want to serve their faith communities. We’ll work with you to prepare programs that will meet the unique needs of your faith community or organization. We’ll also tailor topics to fit your learning needs.
Topics include, but are not limited to:
What is Health Ministry?
Advocacy & Referral
Building a Health Ministry Team
Coordinating Volunteers
Promoting Health & Wellness in Your Faith Community
Spiritual Care of the Elderly with Dementia
Understanding Grief & Loss
Visitation Ministry.
Depending on the topic, health ministry education programs can last from two to six hours.
We encourage a minimum of 10 participants per program.
Health ministry education programs are offered at no cost to faith communities and faith-based organizations. However, to cover the costs of travel, education materials (hand-outs), and advertisement in “The Faith Connection,” our monthly e-newsletter, we gladly accept donations.
To design a health ministry education program to meet the needs of your faith community or organization, please contact us at 412-232-5815.
25th Annual Mercy Parish Nurse & Health Ministry Symposium
“Celebrating Health Ministry: Our Past, Present, and Future”
Marlene Feagan (right) receives a Terrible Towel from Sister Rebecca Nolan (left)
Our Annual Symposium, held on Saturday, October 28, 2017, in Pittsburgh, Pa., and entitled “Celebrating Health Ministry: Our Past, Present, and Future,” was a great success, assisting participants in reflecting more deeply on how we provide wholistic care (whole-person care approach) to those we serve in our faith communities. The symposium celebrated our past in faith community nursing, magnified our present service to those in need, and moved us forward to the dynamic vision for the future of health ministry.
We explored important health care trends;
Wholistic care
Cultural competency
Diversity appreciation
Complex community needs
Addiction
Behavioral health concerns.
Our wonderful guest speaker, Marlene Feagan, MA, BSN, RN-BC, president of Health Ministries Association, Inc. (seen holding a beloved Terrible Towel), encouraged all 52 attendees to address our own individual callings to health ministry as well as to look honestly at areas needing further discernment and prayer in our faith communities.
Participants, staff, and volunteers enjoying fellowship and networking at our 25th Annual Symposium
Marlene also facilitated roundtable discussions to move us beyond our ecumenical boundaries, and intersect faith and health concerns across social avenues focusing on those who are identified with homelessness, addiction, behavioral health concerns, and spiritual challenges.
She also engaged us with questions that may not always have answers when it comes to providing wholistic care in faith communities. The spirit-filled room opened and closed with prayer and singing as attendees bonded together.
We learned from each other and became better equipped to lead our faith communities through the ministry of healing. As it says in Isaiah 40:11 NIV, “He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads…”. God’s blessings to you in your ministry!
For more information about the 25th Annual Pittsburgh Mercy Parish Nurse & Health Ministry Symposium, please contact us at 412-232-5815.
2019 Spiritual Retreat
The Spirituality and the Science of Self-Compassion
March 9, 2018
Martina Spiritual Renewal Center
5244 Clarwin Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15229
The Pittsburgh Mercy Parish Nurse & Health Ministry Program’s 2019 Spiritual Retreat begins with a continental breakfast at 8 a.m., followed by the opening session at 9 a.m. Lunch is simple with minimum talking, giving time and space for self-reflection. The retreat ends at 4 p.m.
An optional overnight stay on Friday, March 8 includes dinner, fellowship, and evening prayer gathering from 5 to 8 p.m.
Anne Kertz Kernion
Jesus’ command “Love your neighbor as yourself” implies that we love ourselves. But do we? Or are we harshly critical of our mistakes and imperfections? This retreat will draw upon recent findings in neuroscience and psychology, illuminating self-care and spiritual practices that nurture gentleness, kindness, and patience toward ourselves. Far from being self-centered or selfish, these practices also generate deeper understanding of others, enhancing our faith community and relationships. As a bonus, exercising self-compassion aids in reducing stress and inflation while slowing aging in our cells and brains.
The retreat facilitator is Anne Kertz Kernion, a frequent lecturer on topics blending neuroscience, positive psychology, and spirituality. She is a former adjunct professor in chemistry, environmental science, ethics, nutrition, theology, and world religions at Carlow University and Community College of Allegheny County. A wife, mother, and grandmother, she is also the owner and artist for Cards by Anne, an inspirational greeting card company, since 1986.
Participants are invited to a time of prayer, solitude, quiet reflection, learning and fellowship. The annual spiritual retreat provides time away from family, work, and church responsibilities, and allows participants to enrich their souls, nourish their spirits, and embrace the Lenten season. Each participant is asked to bring one item to share which represents a definer in their life. Some suggestions are a photo of a dearly loved grandmother, a childhood toy, a piece of jewelry, a family heirloom, a treasured book or Bible, etc.
The retreat is open to the general public. The event may be especially meaningful and relevant to:
Faith community nurses and parish nurses
Registered Nurses
Certified registered nurse practitioners
Clergy, religious, and laity
Health and social service professionals
Health, pastoral, and social ministers
Health educators
Licensed professional counselors
Physicians.
The cost for the Day Retreat is $55 a person and is payable to the Pittsburgh Mercy Parish Nurse & Health Ministry Program. The cost is an extra $40 for participants who choose to stay overnight on Friday (dinner on your own) and is paid directly to Martina Spiritual Renewal Center. Space is limited for overnight participants, so early registration is encouraged. Handicapped accessibility is available upon request.
For more information about our Spiritual Retreat, please contact us at 412-232-5815.
Faith Community Nurse & Health Ministry Educational Meetings
The Pittsburgh Mercy Parish Nurse & Health Ministry Program is offering new Faith Community Nurse & Health Ministry Educational Meetings to individuals in the tri-state area that will provide contact hours for registered nurses and valuable information for others who attend. Faith community nurses, health ministers, registered nurses, clergy/laity, and anyone interested in learning more about the wholistic care approach (balancing body, mind, and spirit) and making a commitment to educating individuals in their faith communities are welcome to attend. The meetings will emphasize the importance of networking, fellowship, learning, and peer support for faith community nurses and health ministers as they assist their congregations and local communities on a path to better health.
The parish nurse program specialists will focus on the intentional care of the spirit in the practice of faith community nursing and health ministry. At the meeting, attendees can explore spirituality along with the means of spiritual assessment and learn how to provide spiritual care for individuals, families, and communities. Since spiritual care flows from the provider, there is an emphasis on the need for faith community nurses and health ministers to understand their own spirits and the importance of tending to one’s own spiritual journey before attempting to guide others.
If you’d like to network with faith community nurses in your area, please contact us at 412-232-5815.
