The Parish Nurse Office is located in the Session Room at the bottom of the stairs. Office hours are every Friday from 9:30 – 12:00 PM. The parish nurse is also available any time of the week by contacting the church office or you may find her home phone on the church web site. Check the bulletin board in the hallway leading to the office for timely health information. The parish nurse also writes an article, which contains pertinent health information, for the church newsletter monthly.
Our Parish Nurses:
Judy Hiles-
I have been Bettendorf Presbyterian’s Parish Nurse since 2011. My husband, Dean, and I have been members of this church since 1986. We have two children, a son who is married and the father of 2 young sons, who lives in Bloomington, Illinois and a daughter who is married and a mother of a teenage son. Since becoming a member, I have taught Sunday school, helped with the Mother/Daughter banquet, served as a Deacon, sang in the choir and am a member of the Charis Circle. I also enjoy digging in the dirt in one of the many flower beds around the church and at home. Prior to our moving to this area, we were members of the Community Presbyterian Church in a little town south of Kirksville, Missouri called LaPlata where I also sang in the choir, taught Sunday school, helped with numerous youth activities and served as Elder. I had been a member of that church since I was 6 years old.
I graduated from what is now Truman University in Kirksville, Missouri with a Bachelors Degree in Nursing and have been a nurse for 38 years. I have been a charge nurse on a medical/surgical floor, a nurse in long term care and a director of nursing at long term care facilities, worked in neurological, neonatal intensive care and the birthing center. I have also been an office nurse and am now a certified diabetes educator for the Genesis Health System. In the past I also held a certification in geriatric nursing.
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What is the Parish Nurse Program?
The Parish Nurse Program is a partnership between Genesis Health Systems and Churches in the Quad Cities and surrounding region. It allows congregations to expand their healing ministries. The program takes a holistic approach to health care by promoting wellness in body, mind, and spirit. The goal of the Parish Nurse Program is to help individuals stay well and to create a feeling of deeper caring throughout the community. The Bettendorf Presbyterian Church has been involved in this program for numerous years.
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Who is a parish nurse and what are her responsibilities?
Parish Nurses are persons of faith who are registered nurses and they have received special education in holistic health care. They promote wellness within the congregation. Parish nurses can provide personal health counseling, develop educational programs, link parishioners with community resources, assist with visits to the homebound and hospitalized, facilitate support groups, and interpret the relationship between faith and health. Parish nurses can also assist families in times of crisis and help provide continuity of care as people move through the health care system. The services offered by parish nurses are tailored to meet the needs of the congregation they serve. There is no fee for the care provided.
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What makes one truly healthy?
You might answer, “Not to be sick, to be well, or to be free of disease.” This could be true of any of us, yet we may still be unhealthy. Health encompasses more than just being free of disease. Each human being is a body, a soul, a mind, and is connected to others by relationships. We must have balance between all four parts or our entire being will be affected and we will not have health and wholeness.The Bible tells us in Luke 2:52 (RSV), “Jesus increased in wisdom (mind) and in stature (body), and in favor (in favorable relationship) with God and man, (with family and neighbors). So should we strive to have balance and to be in harmony with our body, mind, spirit, and in relationships. Then we will have total health and wellness!
Greetings and Prayers for Healthy Living
Judy Hiles, RN, BSN, CDE, Parish Nurse