Vernie Sweeney - Parish Nurse at Lewistown, Montana

St. Leo's Catholic Church

Introduction

As Director of the Parish Nurse Center at Carroll College, I am able to visit parish nurses across the state and see first-hand what they do. On July 17, 2000 I followed Vernie Sweeney, Parish Nurse at St. Leo’s Catholic Church in Lewistown, MT. Here is the story I found that day about her ministry there.

Vernie Sweeney, Parish Nurse at St. Leo’s Catholic Church in Lewistown, MT, is one of a handful of paid parish nurses in Montana. "The best part of my job is spending time with people one on one, letting them know I care about them and that the parish cares about them. They are not alone," says Vernie, who has been on staff at St. Leo’s for one year. Father Dan O’Rourke, priest at St. Leo’s and Vernie’s supervising pastor says the year has gone beyond what he expected.

Making Home Visits

Vernie lets people know she cares about them by her presence. On the day of my visit we travel 40 miles one way to visit "Anna." (Please note: the names of Vernie’s clients have been changed to protect their confidentiality). Anna, a 96 year-old Native American woman, lives in a town of less than fifty people. She is alive with love for people, for her faith, and for her flowers. She takes great joy in her beautiful yard surrounding her modest home which she moved into in the 1930’s. "People tell me that my yard is like a sanctuary," she says proudly. And it is. Inside the hedge she planted years ago are two apple trees laden with apples, tender little tomato plants, and colorful petunias.

"Anna's" Garden

Vernie checking "Anna's" pills

Anna greets Vernie at the door, her rosary held firmly in her hand. "I was just finishing up my rosary as I knew you were coming," she says. As Vernie and Anna discuss the latest news in Anna’s life, Vernie prepares Anna’s pills for the next two weeks. Anna points to the pill boxes and assures Vernie she remembers to take them each day. Looking around, Vernie sees that it might be time to get Anna another cat to help her deal with the mouse problem. There is no running water in Anna’s house, and while the original cook stove adorns the cooking area, she uses a hot plate to prepare most of her meals.

Vernie tells Anna that if she is going into town on the mini-bus tomorrow, she will need to stop at the drugstore and get a refill of one of her heart medications. Vernie also writes a note to remind herself that Anna wants to pick up a daisy plant for her yard from a man in Lewistown. "I had this beautiful daisy plant, but is just didn’t last," says Anna.

As Vernie gathers her things, the women discuss the "first Friday" church service at the small parish in Anna’s town. "I really enjoy that we can go to church on those Friday’s," says Anna. "It is almost as nice a feeling as saying the mass, because we sing and pray. It gives me such a good feeling." Anna also tells Vernie how the local bar sent her a "hamburger plate" on her birthday this past week. "Now wasn’t that nice of them," she adds.

Normally Vernie brings the Eucharist to Anna when she visits, but on this day she has forgotten. "I forgot Jesus today," Vernie says in apology to Anna. Anna too is disappointed, as Mass is not often said in her small parish. "I promise I won’t forget next week when I come," assures Vernie as she says her good-byes.

Vernie & "Anna"

Vernie getting Eucharist for a home visit

Hospital Visitation

Earlier in the day Vernie learned that a parishioner she has been supporting over the past year is back in the hospital. "Betty" is living with a chronic illness that has its ups and downs. This is a down time for Betty who is hospitalized in the intensive care unit of their small rural hospital facing heart related problems.

Before leaving the church to visit Betty, Vernie gets the key to the "tabernacle" to get the Eucharist. Vernie explains that it is her special privilege to be able to minister in this way to the hospitalized and homebound. In this action, parish nursing for Vernie becomes a melding of nursing and ministry. "I felt prepared for this position because I have been involved with St. Leo’s all my life," she says. "I think parish nurses need to be comfortable with their spirituality and their faith."

Entering the hospital that morning, Vernie greets many by name. Vernie says the nurses know her as the parish nurse in the community and she is usually able to just walk into the intensive care unit. When Vernie enters Betty’s room, Betty is relieved to see her. "I am back again and now things are even more complicated," Betty says as she begins to explain her latest setback.

After listening to Betty’s story, Vernie asks her if she is taking anything by mouth. "Oh, I can eat now," she says. "Well, that’s good," says Vernie, "because I brought communion for you." Reverently Vernie shares the Eucharist with Betty and they pray for God’s healing power. Then it is time to leave. To Betty, Vernie’s listening ear and caring spirit help her in her struggle and keep her connected to her parish.

Vernie visiting "Betty" at the hospital

Vernie visiting

Outcomes of Parish Nursing Practice

As parish nursing continues to grow and develop across the country, one of the most frequently asked questions is what the parish nurse actually does that relates to health care delivery. What are the outcomes for people who use this service? When asked this questions, Vernie tells people she does see outcomes in her work, and goes on to illustrate how she functions in the role of health educator, counselor, advocate and referral source for the people in her parish and her community.

"Health promotion activities are a large part of what people get from having a parish nurse," says Vernie. She sponsors a fitness level assessment program, and her parish has a gym where people come to walk, as well as a work-out room she has set up with donated exercise equipment. "I would also like to start a weekly program for older adults to come and get started with an exercise program that fits their lifestyle," she adds.

Vernie sponsored a seminar on Advanced Care Directives with over thirty people in attendance. She sees the church as an ideal setting for this type of seminar because the leaders and participants can discuss death within the context of their faith. The seminar speakers, including a physician, lawyer, and a respiratory therapist, related their experiences with families they had helped work through end-of-life issues.

"I do regular blood pressure screenings," said Vernie. "It isn’t so much a way for people to always know what their blood pressure is, as it is a means for steering people toward care when they need it." She tells of one woman in her church whose blood pressure was quite high. Vernie encouraged the woman to get a complete physical, which revealed an even more serious health problem. "For this woman to come to the blood pressure screening, it was a way for me to get a foot in the door and steer her towards the health care she needed," notes Vernie. "I got her connected to the system." People trust the parish nurse to help them get access to health care. The parish nurse works as an advocate and referral for them.

Vernie's office

Another component of being a parish nurse is to provide health information when needed. Vernie feels this aspect of her role is a way to let people know that the parish cares for them and does not want them hurting. She tells of a mother who called and wanted to discuss a health issue relating to her child and the care the child was getting at school for this health problem. "I was there to be a listening ear and encourage that mom in her struggle with this issue," explains Vernie. She also tells of a woman who needed help in explaining to her family what it was like to deal with depression. Vernie offered sources of information that could help this woman’s family understand what it was like for this woman to deal with this illness.

Sometimes Vernie provides on-the-spot advice about a person’s need to visit their physician. She tells of an older man who regularly attends daily mass and was suffering with a "rash." He happened to mention it to the priest who said, "You’d better show that to Vernie." The rash turned out to be a bad case of shingles. Vernie helped the man get the care he needed and assisted in working with a local physician in getting lower cost medications for his treatment.

The Parish Nurse as a Paid Staff Position

Father Dan feels that making the parish nurse a paid staff member shows the parish is committed to the program. When he considered the amount of money used for staff positions related to the youth, he felt that adding a parish nurse to the staff could be justified as a service to the elders. St. Leo’s parish serves 650 families, including the outlying areas, and employs eight paid staff people.

"As priest of St. Leo’s, I am the only ordained person on staff and I just cannot do it all," says Father Dan. "I am able to collaborate in ministry with Vernie because if we look at the total person, we see how important health care needs are." He calls Vernie a "natural" for this position because she grew up in the parish and the people know and trust her. "She knows the pulse of the congregation," explains Father Dan. "She helps me with ministry of the sick and especially helps me know the timing for me to do the Anointing of the Sick."

Vernie & Father Dan O'Rourke

After being on staff for a full year at twenty hours per week, Vernie had her first review. Father Dan complimented Vernie on her work. "Vernie has a rapport with the parishioners that is very good and a visible presence in the parish that has been an asset to the receptivity of the position and the programming done," wrote Father Dan in the review. He also noted he is not in a hurry to finely-tune Vernie’s job description, as it seems like this work should be fluid and develop along the way as needs are presented. In the future, Father Dan would like to see some of the programs, such as the Advanced Directives Seminar, become an annual program. Father Dan and Vernie have a successful working relationship built on mutual trust and a desire to serve the people of their parish.

When asked what she thought best prepared her for her role as parish nurse, Vernie said that a good parish nurse has a sense of spiritual maturity. This sense of spiritual maturity is hard to teach in a preparation program, and for Vernie it developed over her years of being a lay leader in her parish. In that capacity, she gained experience in giving pastoral care to others. "Parish nurses need to understand that the ministry part of their work is most important," says Vernie. She feels this ministry preparation needs to be done within one’s own denominational setting so that you can be sensitive to the faith issues of the community you serve. "I get in the door because I am a nurse, and then I do the ministry," she said.

Vernie at prayer candles

Vernie helping with funeral lunch

This ministry "piece" of parish nursing was important to Vernie as she helped a family through funeral preparations and the actual service. She was there to listen to the family and help them make decisions that would make the service meaningful to them. She was there with the women on the "Caring Committee" who help with the funeral lunch preparation. She was also there to play her guitar and use her gift of singing at the service. Vernie is a vital part of the ministry team at St. Leo’s because she shares the gifts God has given her with others through her work as a parish nurse. Vernie adds, "I love this work, you know? God is so good."
Submitted by

Cynthia Gustafson, July 2000

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