Agency Details:

The Valley Parish Nurse Program(VPN) is a community- based organization which uses a wholistic approach to promote health and healing.The mission of the Valley Parish Nurse Program is to help participating churches make visible their committment to an optimum level of wellness by treating the whole person; body, mind and spirit, through wholistic and traditional means.

Description:
Parish nurses serve as coordinators between the clergy, parish and resources in the community, such as the hospitals and other social service agencies. Through education, counseling, visitation, health screenings, referrals and advocacy, the Parish Nurses assist members of the parish community in leading healthy and happy lives.
The Parish Nurse is a Health Educator, a Health Counselor, a Facilitator/Organizer and acts as a referral source for the community and religious resources and services.

History:
The VPN Program was established in 1989, after extensive research and planning between Griffin Hospital in Derby, CT, Catholic Family Services in Ansonia, CT and several other religious congregations. Griffin Hospital helps fund the coordination of the Valley Nurse Program.The VPN program is one of the largest parish nurse programs in the country with 30 churches having programs covering one-third of the community's population. More than 75 parish nurses and over 300 other volunteers support the nurses and serve on the health cabinets of the churches. The nurses serve as educators, counselors and gatekeepers to community health services, serving more than 12,000 people last year.

Contact people:

Diane Guillet,RN, Community Van Liason, (phone), (email) Daun Barrett, RN, Parish Nurse Coordinator, (phone), (email) Mary Swansiger,RN, Van Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Address:

6 Mountain St Derby, CT 06418 (See a map)

Web Site: None specified

Last updated on June 17, 2009