Benefits of Community Nurses Forming Partnerships with Parish Nurses and Faith-Based Communities

Benefits of Community Nurses Forming Partnerships with Parish Nurses and Faith-Based Communities

Community nurses and faith community nurses can collaborate to improve overall health care outcomes. Community and faith partnerships have proved useful in reaching out to persons in underserved communities by using established strong resources of congregations and community leaders. As trusted individuals, faith and community nurses have effectively communicated health promotion practices involving healthy living, well-being, preventive care, and management of chronic conditions that affect the quality of life.

By concentrating on the unique needs of African Americans, for instance, community and faith-based nursing strive to enhance the health and spiritual well-being of patients. As such, improved access to care and an effective understanding of interventions are noted, leading to the use of specific approaches that work for the community. Better outcomes eventually reduce costs associated with care provision.

The partnership between community and faith nurses and leaders is not new, but it is changing to account for observed challenges. Clergy and other leaders of the faith communities have strived to explain some common myths concerning health care, beliefs, taboos, and other cultural practices, which could challenge faith beliefs. They offer spiritual support, education, prayers, companionship, health care screening, and meals, among others. The partnership strives to improve passion by focusing on spiritual aspects of care and well-being.

Underserved communities usually depend on collaboration among various health systems and institutions to address their various underlying causes of health challenges. Using community and parish partnership, nurses are advancing critical changes that would ensure care is available to communities with the aim of keeping individuals well in communities while treating illnesses in care facilities. In turn, the partnership strives to improve the overall health of people and communities and ensure a better quality of life.

Nurse partnership is seen as a means of enlarging a wide range of alternatives that can be used to improve health. The partnership ensures that health care programs can meet the needs of both faith-based members and secular communities. For instance, the partners can work to provide information on Affordable Care Act to African Americans with limited education, fight obesity, and promote responsible fatherhood among others (Horton, Alvear, & Horton, 2014; Cooper, King, & Sarpong, 2015). It also ensures that disparity in health care is reduced by improved mobilization and utilization of resources. Outreach and education programs strive to mitigate adverse outcomes of health disparities while advancing equality.

Nurses are now leading major changes in hospitals, communities, workplaces, and in churches. They are leveraging faith-based and community resources to transform the care system and ensure that marginalized masses are reached. Both human and financial resources are brought together to assist communities to take control of their well-being and empower individuals using partnership models. Thus, spirituality and faith go beyond reserved preferences and offer novel values to heal body, mind, and spirit (Cipriano, 2014).