The Faith Community Nursing program offers a unique partnership between two healing entities; our hospitals and the faith community. Faith Community Nurses partner with clergy and healthcare organizations to advocate for the health and well-being of the congregation. While the focus of the program is on preventative healthcare, some of the ways members are helped to lead healthier lives is through education, screenings and referrals to community resources.
Faith Community Nursing (FCN) is the specialized practice of professional nursing that focuses of the intentional care of the spirit as well as the promotion of wholistic health and prevention or minimization of illness within the context of a faith community.
Congregational benefits include allowing the church to reaffirm its role in ministering to the whole person--body, mind, and spirit, enhancing the ability of the church to respond to the health needs of the congregation, thereby impacting the wellness of the faith community.
Recognized as a specialty by the American Nurses Association, a Faith Community Nurse is a spiritually mature, professional registered nurse, called and committed to the healing ministry of the the church. Completing a basic preparation course lays the necessary foundation for successful health ministry.
OSF Care-A-Van is a mobile health center staffed by members of OSF HealthCare and its Faith Community Nursing program. Our Team is ready to assist individuals in the community with access to care, health education, physician visits, and even assist with tasks such as signing up for health coverage and exploring advanced care planning.
We travel to where people work, pray and play to connect patients to care when they might not be able to get to the doctor on their own – or even know where to start when they have a health need.
If you'd like to support the OSF Care-A-Van and our Faith Community Nursing Program through a monetary donation, you can do that, too. Thank you!
Growing in space and harvest each year, St. Ann’s Garden of Hope is a place where people gather to celebrate life, build friendships, beautify their neighborhood and promote good nutrition by growing healthy food for people who live in the area.
To learn more about establishing a Faith Community Nursing program in your congregation, call (309) 282-1692.