Healing the concerns of congregations

When Donna Wiencek was hired to fill the new position of health minister at Saint Mary of Gostyn Roman Catholic Church in Downers Grove, not everyone was happy. Wiencek's half-time parish nurse position was paid, so the church's budget had taken a hit to establish the role, and many others were skeptical of the need for a health professional in their church.

But now that parishioners can have their blood pressure checked once a month after Sunday mass, now that elderly and chronically ill members of the congregation receive home visits, now that the group has someone to turn to who has answers - now, Wiencek said, the congregation members are changing their minds.

"The parishioners have come to be pleased to have me there," she said. "People are so happy to have a health care professional in the church. The best thing is that they have begun to relate to me and each other on a more personal and spiritual basis."

Wiencek's role at Saint Mary of Gostyn is the outcome of the church's participation in Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital's Community Health Ministries program, which helps congregations develop and implement their own programs to promote the wholistic health of members and their entire communities. The program, established with a $130,000 grant from The Community Memorial Foundation, is a three-year process that sets the groundwork for a health ministry, helps the congregation decide what it values and wants to achieve and then assists church leaders in meeting the congregation's goals.

Each congregation has a different focus, said Jeanne Laird, coordinator for the program and liaison to the seven participating congregations.

"One church chose to concentrate on things like physical training, and they shared information on exercise and nutrition," Laird said. "They held a health fair for the community and had a much bigger response than they expected."

Another church decided to devote its efforts to building community and a mutual support network within its congregation. Members are looking at the impact of relationships on physical health and increasing support for seniors in their midst by making more home visits. Yet another congregation is focusing on nutrition and has invited a chef to teach church members how to cook their favorite foods in a healthful way.

"The important thing is that the people had the voice to do what they wanted to do," Laird said, noting that the participating congregations are from seven unique denominations. "Every church is different, and that's what has been so interesting to see. They were trained together, but once they assessed their congregation's needs, their solutions were all over the map."

The results have been phenomenal at Saint Mary of Gostyn, Wiencek said.

The church now has a very active youth ministry of teens who have volunteered to do yard work and other chores for elderly community members, and older volunteers are collaborating with Metropolitan Family Services to make visits to homebound seniors in order to give their caregivers a respite. But best of all, Wiencek said, parishioners are seeing the benefits in their own health: The monthly blood pressure checks have turned up a few congregation members with dangerously high blood pressure.

"They don't call hypertension the silent killer for no reason," she said. "We think that catching just those few serious problems is our greatest success."

"The program is having a great impact, and the only way this is happening is through grant funding," said Kirsten Peachey, director of Congregational Health Partnerships for the system.