CGS is pleased to introduce our Faith Community Nurse Ministry. Sue Carol Verrillo, DNP, FCN is the inaugural director. You may contact her with any questions or concerns at fcn-cgs@cgsonline.org.
Check out this video to see Sue Verrillo share more about the CGS Faith Community Nursing Ministry.
Faith Community Nursing (FCN) is a nationally recognized specialty through the American Nurses Association and internationally through the Health Ministries Association. Faith Community Nurses orient their practice around the belief that a person’s spiritual life is a key factor in the person’s physical, emotional and mental well-being and informs the FCN roles needed in their local faith community. The FCN integrates faith with health by visiting the client wherever they are currently (home, rehab, long term care) and offering active listening, prayer, Bible reading, encouragement and reassurance.
As a health educator, the FCN can organize health fairs, develop church wide health education programs or conduct one-on-one personal health counseling to increase the client’s coping skills related to physical illness, stressful life transitions and increase the client’s understanding of diagnoses, lab results and medications. Finally, the FCN should perform a congregational needs assessment to prioritize the development of necessary support groups (parents of children with special needs, substance/alcohol abuse, caregiver support and grief share and loss).