Church-Based Nursing is Topic of Winter Park Study
Monday, February 22, 2010
By: Judith Smelser
February 22, 2010 -- Three Winter Park churches are part of a recent study aimed at finding out whether so-called "parish nurses" improve the health of their congregations. Experts say the study was one of, if not the first of its kind.
The ongoing healthcare debate in Washington has sharpened the nation’s focus on preventive care and how to catch medical problems before people end up in the hospital. Some observers are finding an unexpected source for that in the nation’s churches.
In keeping with the idea of the body as a temple, some congregations hire trained nurses to keep their members healthy. They’re called “parish nurses.” Central Florida was recently the setting for one of the first long-term studies to see whether church-based RNs actually make a difference.
90.7’s Judith Smelser has more.
Click here to listen to story.
|