What is community health and how does Congregational Nursing play a part in it? Throughout the country, and here in South Bend, Indiana, health care providers and leaders have begun to look outside the walls of the hospital and physicians' offices to determine the future of health and health care in America. Many believe that a community's health is a reflection of the non-medical issues that appear, such as employment, housing, violence, education, transportation and others.

From this knowledge, a new, broader concept of health care has been formed. This concept has since been woven into Memorial Hospital and Health System's (mission). Memorial believes that a "healthy community" is as much a social, economic and environmental issue as it is a medical one. As a result, the hospital has developed several partnerships outside of the hospital and health system with community groups and organizations.

One such partnership is the Congregational Nursing Program, an ongoing wellness ministry in partnerships with local congregations. This cooperation also extends to the relationship between the local congregation and both the individuals and communities they serve.

The Congregational Nursing Program provides specialized training for nurses who serve the health needs of their congregations. The program is holistic in scope, recognizing the psychological (mind), physical (body) and spiritual (spirit) dimensions of the individuals and community being served. This concept of the "trinity of health" is at the core of the program; acute, chronic and preventive services for all ages are addressed through education, counseling and appropriate referrals.

Though established and supported by Memorial Hospital, the program consists of individual ministries within congregations and communities, and is administered by local churches and synagogues.