Creation of the Parish Nurse Resource Center and the Westberg Symposium

In 1985, Advocate Health Care-Lutheran General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, created the Parish Nurse Resource Center (PNRC) under the direction of Ann Solari-Twadell to provide support and education for parish nursing (Patterson, 2003, p. 32). In 2001, Advocate Health Care transferred the PNRC to Deaconess Parish Nurse Ministries in St. Louis, and it became international, known as the IPNRC (Hickman, 2006, p.8). In 1986, the Westberg Symposium began in honor of Rev. Dr. Granger Westberg. Parish nurses from around the world gather annually in September to fellowship, explore the latest research, and learn about best practice methods of parish nursing and health ministry.

Discussion Forum

Quarterly Question: If you are a parish nurse, did you attend basic preparation, and if so, what course did you attend to prepare for your ministry? If you are not a parish nurse, what topics would you like to read in this column to assist you in discovering the specialty practice of parish nursing? Send your e-mail responses to [email protected].