Transcript Various Disciplines

The Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary Team Approach
in Promoting Health & Wellness in Faith Communities
Tom Pruski, RN, MAPS
Wesley Seminary Heal the Sick
Program Director
Current Trends
 Changes in Healthcare – A.C.A. population based
model
• Changes in Culture & Impact on Religious Institutions
& Societal Structures
 Institutional Church on decline
 Need for innovative faith & health education models
to address various learners & disciplines
 Clergy, laity - practice an integrated faith life beyond the
walls of the church, ongoing faith formation
 Professionals, students, public health sector– greater
appreciation of interdisciplinary work, teams
Four questions in building
interdisciplinary health teams:
• What do you think it takes to build a ‘healthy’ health
team for a faith community?
• What are some characteristics of successful
interdisciplinary health teams?
 What are some challenges in building interdisciplinary
health teams?
 How do you develop successful interdisciplinary health
teams?
Some Various Disciplines Involved in
Health Ministry
 Healthcare Professionals – registered nurses
 Professionals – lawyers, accountants, etc.
 Clergy
 Seminarians
 Volunteers
 Artists – Massage Therapists, Musicians, Art Therapy
Health Ministry Roles
 Clergy – Professional, Seminarians
 Faith Community Nursing
 Health Ministers - Different Denominational and
Public Health Use Variety of Terms
 “congregational health promoter”
 “lay health promoter”
 “congregational health leader”
 Leaders of Various Ministries
 Emerging Roles
 Health and Wellness Coaching, Life Coaching
Building Structure: Faith Community
Health Ministry Models
Health Ministry Encompasses One or a Hybrid of
These Various Models:
 Faith Community Nurse
 Health Ministers
 Health Committee or Health & Wellness Team
 Various Ministry leaders – social concerns, etc.
 Pastoral Associate, Clergy
 Various Ministries – Faith Formation, Social Justice,
Stephen’s Ministry, etc.
Enter Education Program & Follow
Professional Standards Guiding Various
Health Ministry Roles & Practices
Important Questions for Health
Ministries in Faith Communities
 Is our health ministry team a true representation of
our faith community?
 Are you serving inside or outside our faith community?
or both?
 How will you know we are successful? How will you
evaluate your actions and impact?
 Does your entire faith community understand what
health ministry is?
Challenges in Health Ministry:
Role Expectations
 Role descriptions
 Pursue education to know role
 People do not want to become involved, if there is a lack
of clear expectations
 Role time limit, increasing important to our busy
culture
 Define structures and roles of different
people/disciplines
Supporting Health Ministries
Through Networks
 Local
 Hospital/Primary Care Based Congregational Networks
 Community Based Congregational Networks


self-determines their own goals, objectives, and mission
powerful advocate, independent voices
 Regional Networks through HMA
 Internet Resources - Online Discussion Groups,
E-Mail list
 Be creative
Continuity from Educational
Foundation to Network Involvement
 Faith Community Nurse
 Congregational
Foundational Education
 Health Minister
Education
 Health Committee
Education
 Additional Education for
Specific Roles – Stephen
Ministry, mental health
Network Support
 Resource Support –
sharing resources, best
practices
 Continuing Education
for Various Health
Ministry Roles – know
trends, resources
Essential Elements to
Interdisciplinary Health Ministry Team
Development
 Understanding connections to Mission:
 Personal
 Local Faith Community
 Denomination
 Institutional – Healthcare, Educational, Etc.
 Need to speak Common Language and have Mutual
Understanding on faith & health concepts & context
 What is a healthy person?
 What is a healthy community? faith community?
Keys to Success: Support from
Institutional Leadership
 Important to receive support from institutional
leadership, without support it is difficult to sustain
 Clergy
 Denominational
 Healthcare Systems
 Community Leaders
 Find the passionate champions - from pew to board
room – make a personal connection
 Provide leadership with reasons to support health
ministry in different settings, provide evidence
Ways to Build & Promote
‘Healthy’ Healthy Ministries
 Mentoring (HMA’s FCN model, new models)
 Build, develop, and maintain healthy relationships
among team members, institutional leaders
 Leadership supporting internal transformation of
community life
 Build, sustain, and grow networks of support for
various disciplines
 Allow equal space, time for individual and
interdisciplinary role development
Research, Utilize, & Cite Trusted
Resources that Shape Practice
The Public Health Institute Health Systems Service
and the Centers for Disease
Learning Group
Control
Other Important Considerations
for Interdisciplinary Health Team
 Consider the diversity of various faith, cultural, and
races of the people we serve with
 Understanding and personal comfortability with
different denomination and different faith traditions
 Important to ‘BE’ with others, listening presence
Who will guide the work?
• People committed to live out mission and vision in
new, concrete ways
• Boundary leadership on personal and institutional
level
• Spiritual hunger among community/congregational
members, and professionals to practice and integrate
faith in all aspect of their lives
• Creating and/or Supporting local congregational
health networks
What are we learning?
• Lack of backbone organizations and lack of
coordination is rampant across our competitive society
• Takes time to build trust among people, partners
• Public Assumes all Faith Leaders & Medical
Professionals Are Competent in all spiritual & medical
matters
– Congregational Interviews revealed personal and
professional fear/anxiety on dealing with death
medically and pastorally, may need additional training
What are we learning?
• Long term, sustained Micro AND Macro efforts
required
– Institutional Leadership in dialogue
– Constantly creating faith and health dialogue through
workshops for individuals and communities to engage
• Leveraging Assets of Institution/Faith Community
– Know what you can bring to the table, know your limits
too.
Practicing Regular Disciplines: An Essential
Element of Health & Wellness Team Members
 Regular Self-care
 How is Your Spiritual Life?
 Reflecting on Self, Work, Recreational life
 Perspective on Vocation
 Authenticity
 Sensitive to Your Own & Others Vulnerabilities, Human
Condition, Context
 Value, Respect, & Honesty in This Context
4 Overarching Characteristics Guiding
Interdisciplinary Health Ministry Work
• Need to speak Common Language and have Mutual
Understanding on faith & health concepts & context
• Develop, form & sustain long lasting Relationships
with people from diverse backgrounds
– Networking/Support with colleagues, always open to
inviting and widening the collaborative circle
– Diverse Relationships helps us know different
perspectives and talents, honor & respect for the human
experience
4 Overarching Characteristics Guiding
Interdisciplinary Health Ministry Work
• Create opportunities to create, build, sustain Trust
– Attending partner events
– Ongoing Dialogue and Work toward common goals,
vision, outcomes
• Practicing Regular Disciplines of Self-Care
• Exercise – physical, meditative, etc.
• Theological Reflection