Parish Nurse
Deb Hyder, RN
| “As a nurse I never had time to listen, and I was constrained from sharing my faith. As a Parish Nurse, I can affirm that God is the healer, and that we in the health profession are in his service. It's always a blessing when faith and work intersect, and I enjoy that blessing every day.” –Debbie Hyder, RN, Parish Nurse |
| Office Hours:
9 AM to 3:30 PM,
Tuesday, Wednesday &
Thursday
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Phone: 865-376-6340
Fax: 865-376-6390
E-Mail: Click HERE
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About Parish Nursing
 The ancient Jewish practices of health and healing were part of the spiritual heritage in which Jesus ministered. Granger Westberg, a chaplain at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, established the basics of the Parish Nurse Program. The American Nursing Association recognized Parish Nursing as a specialty in 1997.The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) believes that Parish Nursing is a faithful response to Christ's call to the ministry of health, healing and wholeness. To date, nearly 1,000 Presbyterian churches have parish nurses on their staff.
Bethel's Parish Nurse Program
 The Parish Nurse is a part-time staff position, under the guidance of a Parish Nurse advisory committee, employed by Bethel to provide a healing ministry to church members. Parish Nurse activities provide church members with an advocacy to the healthcare system, a healthcare counselor, a health educator, and pastoral care as delegated by the Minister.
On April 4, 1999, Debbie Hyder was commissioned as Bethel's Parish Nurse. Deb graduated from UT, Knoxville and later from nursing school at Roane State Community College. She worked as a hospital critical care nurse and as a home health care nurse prior to coming to Bethel. Deb can be reached by calling the church office: 376-6340 from 9 AM to 3:30 PM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
As Bethel's Parish Nurse, Deb is called to:
- Understand and integrate faith, health and well being within the congregation
- Participate in worship services including special services such as the Healing and Wholeness Service
- Serve as a health advocate, assisting congregational members and their families in making decisions regarding their health and medical services
- Identify and recruit professional and lay volunteers, utilizing their gifts, to assist with health-related needs of members of the congregation
- Network with area educational resources and other Parish Nurse professionals
- Communicate with other health professionals, as needed, to meet the health needs of the congregation and in keeping with federal regulations for privacy
- Provide counseling sessions for disease prevention and health maintenance
- Assess and document a plan of care for a crisis event and/or a health event for members of the congregation who request it.
- Reach out to the local community by participating in community health services that may include health fairs, screenings, and health programs
- Collaborate with the advisory committee, Session and Pastor to plan health education programming and provide classes centered around health issues and health subjects to benefit the congregation and the community
- Provide camp nurse services to the John Knox Center for a period determined by the advisory committee
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