Faith Community Nurses make big impact from cradle to grave

On a hot Friday morning, nearly 100 people gather outside Our Lady of Tepeyac Parish in Pilsen, Ill. for its weekly food pantry. Some have been waiting in line since 7 am. The pantry opens at noon.

In a neighborhood where the average annual household income is $22,000 per year, the food pantry, one of the largest in Metro-Chicagoland, serves 450 community members each month.

“For many people, this is their only access to fruits and vegetables,” says Advocate Faith Community Nurse Donna Oborski.

Donna has been a nurse for nearly four decades. In addition to running the food pantry, Donna helps coordinate on-site screenings, health assessments and preventative health information.

“As the health care system has evolved, vulnerable communities have become more vulnerable. These people are challenged to access care,” says Nancy Durbin, director, Faith Community Nurse Ministry. “Donna offers them a safe place to come and get the help they need.”

Started at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge Ill. in 1984, the Faith Community Nurse Ministry is the oldest in the country. In 2016, fewer than 20 nurses served nearly 60,000 people in 39 diverse congregations. Their work resulted in more than $850,000 in community benefits and nearly $2 million in avoidance costs.

Six to eight volunteers help Donna each week, including Wayne, a neighborhood resident who struggled to find work after being released from prison.

“Donna accepted me when no one else would. This is my way to give back,” he says as he carries out a bag for elderly woman in a walker.

That week, Wayne and other volunteers brought Donna flowers and balloons in honor of Mother’s Day.

“They told me it’s because I am like their mother,” says a teary-eyed Donna. “I never knew I had such a big family.”
Twenty miles to the west, her colleague Deborah Stankiewicz, fondly known as Nurse Debbie, has spent 27 years at First Congregation Parish of Western Springs, Ill. Debbie, who holds a master’s in geriatrics and a certification in healing touch, believes her role is to be an advocate for the people she serves.

“One of my gifts is to care, and care deeply,” says Debbie. “I have no problem being assertive.”

Rooted in caring for the mind, body and spirit, the Faith Community Nurses provide case management, medical surveillance, volunteer coordination and emotional support through challenging times. Each nurse tailors her programming to the needs of the community, ensuring spirituality is at the root of all they do.

“What did we do before Debbie?” says Jean, a weekly participant in Debbie’s Tai Chi class. “I’ve had cancer and other health scares, and Debbie was with me the whole time.”

That day, Nurse Debbie heads from teaching her preschoolers safety tips to the home of one parishioner who had been put on hospice care.

“I am truly with this community from cradle to grave,” says Debbie. Although Debbie and Donna serve very different communities, many issues overlap.

“I watched both women help their parishioners navigate through tragedies like teen suicides,” says Nancy. “Heartbreak has no exceptions.”

Donna, Debbie and the other Faith Community Nurses embody wisdom, compassion and the utmost humility.

“Health care is a partnership,” says Nancy. “We are your partners. We are the mission.”