brunoo8561

Two U.S. states face severe weather, Secretary of State Clinton travels to Mexico, and we offer tips on avoiding allergy attacks.

AP - The soggy Gulf Coast braced for another round of storms Thursday that could send already-swollen rivers over their banks and into people's homes.

The Parish Nurse Center at Carroll College in Helena, Mont., is celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year by again offering its Basic Parish Nurse and Health Minister Preparation Course and renewal events. Formally created in 1999 by a grant from the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas, and St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Shelby, Mont., the Parish Nurse Center has graduated over 362 people from the basic preparation course.  Of these, more than 180 graduates serve as parish nurses and health ministers in faith communities throughout Montana in communities of all sizes.

"We are coming up on the 25^th anniversary of parish nursing and the International Parish Nurse Resource Center, which was established in 1985," says Carroll College Parish Nurse Center Director Cynthia Gustafson. Parish nursing is an international movement, with Gustafson having led the way to establishing parish nursing in Swaziland, Africa, a kingdom with one of the world's most devastating AIDS/HIV epidemics.

Parish nurses and health ministers recognize the need for holistic health, Gustafson says. "People need affirmation and support in their growth toward health-filled living and wellness, and parish nurses are called and committed to the tradition of a healing ministry to meet the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of others," she explains.

The Basic Parish Nurse Preparation Course will be offered on the Carroll College campus in Helena on May 14-17, 2009. The cost for the course is $390 and includes a continental breakfast, lunches and all educational materials.  Lodging will be available on campus at a reduced rate.  The Parish Nurse Center is in the process of applying for 35 contact hours for Registered Nurses through the Montana Nurses' Association, an approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. The Basic Preparation Course follows the curriculum of the International Parish Nurse Resource Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

A renewal event for parish nurses and health ministers will also be held on Carroll's campus on May 16-17, 2009. The theme for the renewal is That It May be Well for You, a "train the trainer" event, led by Tammy Devine, RN, a parish nurse and a diaconal minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. As the national church's wellness coordinator, Devine works closely with parish nurses and ministerial staff in promoting healthy living. The cost for the retreat is $95, and includes lunches and educational materials. Again, housing will be available on campus at a reduced rate.

For more information, contact Dr. Cynthia Gustafson, director of the Parish Nurse Center and chair of the Department of Nursing at Carroll College, at cgustafs -is-at- carroll -dot- edu or at 406-447-5494. Information is also available at www.carroll.edu/parishnurse.