Healthy Communities
What is a Healthy Community? A Healthy Community might be one that:
Supports walking, biking or other means of physical activity by creating safe accessible
routes to school and pedestrian access to shopping or social functions.
Offers plenty of opportunity for low cost or free exercise by providing play and
exercise equipment in parks, classes for seniors, families and kids.
Provides access to a wide range of low cost, healthy foods, such as fresh fruit and
vegetables, with Farmers Markets and healthier food choices in school cafeterias and senior centers.
Supports low income families in accessing more nutritional food choices and in healthier food
preparation / meal planning.
Addresses issues of improved public health at the policy level in their community.
The Healthy Communities Project began in Marysville in 2006 and is expanding to other Snohomish County communities in 2007.
Congregational Health Partnership
Interested in becoming a Parish Nurse? Click here for more information about a local training course offered in July!
The Congregational Health Partnership is a collaborative effort between SHD, the Interfaith Association of Snohomish County,
Providence Everett Medical Center and Puget Sound Health Ministries. The project supports communities of faith
interested in establishing and maintaining a health ministry program.
Congregational nursing, also known as parish nursing, integrates physical and mental health with spirit. Parish nurses are
certified to work within spiritual or faith communities as health educators and advocates. Many nurses across the country serve,
remunerated or not, as part of the parish staff. In addition to keeping office hours to assist individual congregates or visit
homes, nurses educate via church newsletters and bulletins, workshops, committees and prayer meetings.
What clergy members with a congregational nurse on staff have to say...
"I have had the privilege of having a parish nurse at First Covenant Church. She is a valuable asset to the congregational care
of our people. She is involved in visitation...and then fills me in; she acts as a consultant so I am much more knowledgeable
about what is going on. Her visits don't replace my visits, but rather helps our people to feel much more cared for and in
touch. Something as simple as the monthly blood pressure checks leads to profound and meaningful conversations with old and
young alike. Frankly she is a gift to our ministry that I don't know how we did without previously."
-Pastor Bill Goodwin, First Covenant Church, Everett
"Our congregational nurse gives a health presence at our church... she takes blood pressures, does education, and she has even
helped when people have fainted during our worship service. She also has done education forums with both our children and adults
during the summer time."
-Reverend Lee Kluth, Trinity Lutheran Church, Everett
