Dear Health Ministries Network Community,
The Fourth of July has come and gone, and while this is undoubtedly a joy for many, this time of celebrating independence has been challenging for many as well. We continue to carry a lot right now. We step forward and back. We grieve and celebrate. We continue to face many uncertainties--andt through it all, we continue to offer gratitude and hope and to take action.
Today we offer gratitude to PeaceHealth for their commitment to us in continuing to be a major sponsor of our work! Without the support of all of our sponsors and donors, we simply could not offer the education and training, connection and resources and invaluable loving health education, care and equity services that we provide across four counties and well beyond. Thank you, PeaceHealth!
This month, we continue to serve steadily at our two Ask a Nurse programs--one in Maple Falls at the EWRRC, alongside the Foothills Foodbank, and one at Eleanor Apartments in Bellingham. Thank you to our FCNs, HMs and CHAs who bring healing and empowerment to our communities. We continue to offer gratitude to Chuckanut Health Foundation and Aging Well Whatcom for this--and for the new Aging Well Blueprint, which we've linked to below, for those interested.
We continue to celebrate our recent graduates by hearing about their health ministries--budding or ongoing--at our monthly meeting on July 15th, 12-1:30pm on Zoom. Please remember that you're welcome in our community--always. And we lean into community to help us carry the challenges and joys that we carry.
We also have an announcement: we are hiring! We are seeking a part-time Assistant Director to work alongside the Executive Director to build depth in our love and leadership. Please see the job description below, and share widely!
And finally, we look forward to seeing many of you in August, at our Health Ministries Network Appreciation Picnic, where we'll enjoy food, community, music and honoring our Faith Community Nurses, Health Ministers and Community Health Advocates! Please save the date of August 24th, 11:30am-1:30pm, and see all the good details below!
Wishing you safe travels as you get out and about this summer. Wishing you continued peace, health, and love. Take good care today!
Yours in gratitude and hope,
Sarah Lane
Executive Director
Thank you to Christ the Servant Lutheran Church and their Prayer Shawl Ministry! We had the honor and pleasure of sending a prayer shawl, along with a certificate and new name tag to each of our graduates from the Foundations in Faith Community Nursing and Health Ministry Course 2022. Thank you to Kathy Auerbach and her group of knitters and crocheters, who infused each shawl with beauty, love and prayer.
HMN July Meeting: Meet and Welcome Recent Graduates and Learn about Their Budding Health Ministries!
This month, we will be coming together on Zoom from across the nation to celebrate and hear from our recent graduates--to learn more about them as well as hear about their budding health ministries! They bring amazing and diverse experiences; competence, faith and hope; and creative ideas to share with all of us!
Everyone is welcome! Please join us via Zoom on Friday, July 15th, 12-1:30pm.
Please contact Sarah Lane with questions at director@healthministriesnetwork.net
HMN June Meeting Video, Notes and Opportunities: All About Parkinson's Disease
Thank you to Jennifer Gillick, Program Director for the APDA, NW Chapter, and all those who participated in the June 13th monthly meeting about Parkinson's Disease and the many resources available to support our Parkinson's community.
To watch or share a replay, please click here or on the photo above.
Here are some additional resources that Jen and one of our participants shared. Thank you, both!
More Resources from APDA:
Please join APDA for their 4-part series starting this week: Parkinson's Good Start - June 2022 | American Parkinson Disease Association (apdaparkinson.org)
Follow this link to find/order/download educational brochures: Download Publications | American Parkinson Disease Association (apdaparkinson.org
APDA Fact Sheet
Helpful Tips Summary brochure
Glee Club! Teena Hilton is starting a Glee Club in Bellingham specifically for people who have speech pathology issues, such as MS and PD. It will meet 8 times this summer at the Congregational Church on Cornwall in Bellingham, from 5:00-6:00. The first meeting is on June 28, and you don't have to commit to make it every time. Masks (95 masks, or special singing masks) are required. Spouses can participate, and I think she said they are bringing in some additional strong voices to support the group when we sing. Teena's contact info is 360-306-3570 or tenahilton@comcast.net.
Please contact Sarah Lane with questions at director@healthministriesnetwork.net
For further reading on diabetes and information that older adults need to know about diabetes, please check out this article, sent in by our HMN Interim President, LeAna Osterman: Seniors With Prediabetes: Eat Better, Get Moving, but Don't Fret Over Diabetes (webmd.com).
A Big THANK YOU to all who made the Foundations Course GREAT!
THANK YOU TO dedicated Faith Community Nurses, Health Ministers and Community and HMN Board who contributed to the 2022 HMN Foundations of Faith Community Nursing and Health Ministry Course
Lead Instructor: Dr. Bill Lonneman
HMN Course Coordinator/Instructor: Dr. Carol Nicolay
HMN Executive Director: Sarah Lane
Panel Speakers: Kathryn Selleret,HM; Carol Nicolay, HM; and Mary Lynn Palmer, RN, FCN
Topic Speakers:
Elizabeth Hart, M.Ed, Academic Coordinator DVSAS, Topic: Violence
Dr. Emily Gibson, Physician and HMN Board Member, Topic: Mental Health
Melanie Cool MA, LMHC and HMN Board Member, Topic: Loss, Suffering and Grief
Graduation:
Joni Hensley, RN; Pam Colyer, RN; Sarah Lane, Carol Nicolay and Bill Lonneman
Learn More about the Aging Well Whatcom Blueprint!
Click here to explore the blueprint.
Click here to register for the webinar.
Community Events & Info
In an effort to connect our volunteers with relevant resources, we publish community events and information in our monthly newsletter and on our website. Email director@healthministriesnetwork.net to add your own.
It's Vision Health Month
This year, the NIH wants "to inspire families to team up and learn how to protect their vision together! We’re centering this year’s campaign around people who are more likely to have eye problems because of barriers in access to eye care. Use the resources on this page to join the conversation!
A note to Spanish-speakers: Instead of directly translating, we purposefully transcreated some elements of the Healthy Vision Month content to make sure it’s culturally relevant. Lea esta página en español"
CDC resources may be found here.
The Whatcom Council on Aging has Senior Farmers Market Vouchers available! Funded by the USDA and Washington State, the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program provides lower-income seniors with vouchers/coupons redeemable for fresh produce, herbs, and honey at approved farmers markets and farm stands. This year they are able to provide each senior with $80 in coupons. To see if you are eligible for these vouchers please visit their website, to apply for the vouchers please complete this form and return by mail at Meals on Wheels (315 Halleck Street, Bellingham, WA 98226), email: jmeyers@whatcomcoa.org, or fax: 360-647-7952.
COVID Updates and Resources
A reminder that there are two options for every U.S. household to order COVID-19 tests for free:
U.S. households are now able to order an additional eight free at-home COVID tests through the USPS program — bringing the total number of free tests available to each household since the start of the program to 16.
Every household can order 2 free test kits every month through the Say Yes! To Covid Test program. Each kit has 5 FREE COVID tests, meaning your household can request up to 10 tests every month.
The Community HUB Team at North Sound ACH is available to assist anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and needs food or other assistance in order to isolate/quarantine at home properly. You can connect with the Hub team by filling out their COVID referral form or emailing HUB@NorthSoundACH.org
Molina Healthcare of Washington is pleased to offer a limited-time member reward for the COVID-19 vaccine to the unvaccinated Apple Health (Medicaid) population. Apple Health members ages 5+ can earn a $100 Amazon Gift Card (Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm [ATF] restricted) if they receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine between June 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022. For more information please go here.
Molina Healthcare se complace en recompensar a los miembros de Apple Health con una Tarjeta de Regalo de $100 de Amazon.com por recibir su PRIMERA* dosis de la vacuna contra el COVID-19 entre el 1 de Junio y el 31 de Diciembre del 2022. Para más información, consulte aquí.
*Janssen, la vacuna de una sola dosis de Johnson & Johnson, se considera completa después de la primera y única dosis.
HHS Resources for Reproductive Healthcare
Reproductive health care, including access to birth control and safe and legal abortion care, is an essential part of health and well-being. Visit the HHS website, ReproductiveRights.gov to share information with your community about access to reproductive health care, coverage for those who have insurance and those who do not, and where to go if they don’t have insurance – or just need additional information.
On Demand and Live Online Advance Care Planning Classes
PeaceHealth is offering "Your Voice Your Choice" classes online to help people complete their advance directives and durable power of attorney documents. Sharing your wishes for the care you want if you are critically ill can bring you closer to the people you love. Making your wishes known clearly in advance of a crisis is one of the biggest gifts you can give yourself, your family and friends.
Classes are offered the first Wednesday of every month 1:00-3:00 PM. The class is also on-demand and can be watched online anytime. Learn more at: www.peacehealth.org/advance-care-planning.
Stories from our Community
This month's story is not a story, but rather, it is an announcement. Health Ministries Network (HMN) is seeking a part-time Assistant Director to support and work with the Executive Director to perform our ongoing mission of linking Faith Community Nurses & Health Ministers, congregations and local resources, to nurture community health equity with spiritual well-being in our four-county area (Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish and San Juan Counties) of Western Washington. The position is part-time (10-15 hours per week); flexible schedule $20-25 per hour, depending on experience, Location is 800 E. Chestnut St., Suite 1A, Bellingham WA 98225 and remote/telework, as appropriate. Click here for the full job description. This position is open until filled.
Creative Offering
The Importance of Community--Adapted from HMN's article in the East Whatcom Health Reporter One of our Faith Community Nurses just made the move into an older adult community, and someone told her: Four kinds of people live here: those who like to get together and play games, those who volunteer to serve others, those who complain about everything and those who like to keep to themselves. While we’re not so sure that any of us fit neatly into a single category, we know our own tendencies to draw closer to or stay away from community. We may like our quiet, independence, solitude and privacy—or we like to be amidst the voices and warmth of a crowd. And we can name some of the benefits of both on our social, spiritual, mental and physical health. However, here are a few health benefits of being in community that we might consider as we craft our community, be it one person, a small group or a whole crowd:
When we are part of a community, people notice when we aren’t there and check on us. They think about us—and pray for us.
When we are a part of a community, we learn where to find resources we may need and may play a vital role in connecting others to important resources. This exchange of giving and receiving is an important part of our place in community.
When we are a part of a community, we have better mental health, overall. We learned this during pandemic. According to Tulane University’s “Understanding the Effects of Isolation on Mental Health,” from December 8, 2020, “Mental and physical health are interconnected. Social isolation’s adverse health consequences range from sleeplessness to reduced immune function. Loneliness is associated with higher anxiety, depression, and suicide rates. Isolation and loneliness are also linked to poor cardiovascular health and cognitive function.”
Health Ministries Network and Ask a Nurse wants you to know you’re not alone in your spiritual, mental and physical wellness. Please reach out to us via email at director@healthministriesnetwork.net or look for resources at our website: www.healthministriesnetwork.net
Support HMN
Help us support the invaluable work of faith community nurses and health ministers in northwest Washington by donating today!
And thank you to our fiscal sponsor,
Health Ministries Network is a nonprofit serving Northwest Washington with a mission to link Faith Community Nurses & Health Ministers, congregations and local resources, to nurture community health equity with spiritual well-being.
Health Ministries Network is affiliated with the Chuckanut Health Foundation.
800 E. Chestnut St., Ste 1A
Bellingham, WA 98225
360-788-6408