The Parish Nursing Community Outreach Program is sponsored by the St. Francis Foundation and has been serving our local community since 1995.  In 2003, with the closing of St. Francis Medical Center, the program became a program of Cottage Hospital.

Parish Nursing is a specialty practice that works with our culturally diverse community.  This includes several local faith congregations and numerous health service organizations in order to provide health assessment, education, emotional and spiritual support for individuals and families dealing with healthcare challenges.

Parish Nursing was established to ensure that people learn to incorporate good health habits into their daily lives.  This includes a balance between body, mind and spirit.  Parish Nursing integrates whole-person health in a confidential approach.

The Parish Nurses partner with community agencies, such as Casa Esperanza (our community homeless shelter), Catholic Charities, Transition House, Faulding Hotel, St. Vincent’s Housing, Campers’ Park and other low-income housing units.  The nurse acts as a client-advocate who educates, assesses, and refers individuals to appropriate agencies to meet their healthcare needs.

Parish Nurses also collaborate with other community agencies and programs, such as:

• American Cancer Society
• American Lung Association
• Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics
• American Heart Association
• Arthritis Foundation
• Diabetes Association
• Hospice of Santa Barbara
• Doctors Without Walls—Santa Barbara Street Medicine
• Direct Relief International

SERVICES INCLUDE:

1. Providing home and hospital visits
2. Creating health education classes, newsletter articles and other educational resources
3. Personal health counseling and resource referrals
4. Recruiting and training of congregational volunteers

Facilitating Health Screenings, including the following:

1. Blood glucose testing
2. Blood pressure screening
3. Asthma screening

Prevention and education in healthcare are the wave of the future.  It is this approach that will help to keep healthcare costs down and encourage people to make healthy lifestyle choices that will extend and improve the quality of their lives.

New Parish Nurse Projects in Development 

• Garden Court—Teaching classes and providing visits to clients in their rooms for the medically fragile 2-4 times a month

• St Joseph’s in Carpinteria—the Parish Nurse will provide provide 5 hours per week outreach to low income families who attend St. Joseph's Church.

• Path Point (formally ”Work Training”)  working with mental health clients to help maintain their stability.  Provide home visits, medication supervision, emotional support and education.