 Lois Bazhaw, RN, Parish Nurse Lois Bazhaw, RN, Parish Nurse
As a Parish Nurse my work is varied and always laced with the unexpected. Whether it’s counseling a member of the congregation, doing routine monthly screenings, or doing community outreach, the stories of our ministry show the value of health ministry to those we serve.
Visit Lois' Health Ministry/Parish Nursing page on the Salem Presbytery Web site for health tips and more articles.
Sam — A potential stroke averted
Worship was over and I was doing my monthly blood pressure screening. Sam sat down in the chair asking if I had time for one more. Of course I did. My initial reading was 200/100, which is very high. I had Sam rest for five minutes and repeated the procedure. His blood pressure had gone up to 220 over 110. I knew his history of hypertension and the family history of hypertension and strokes. I advised that his wife take him to the Urgent Care next to the hospital for evaluation, which she did. The Urgent Care physician confirmed the screening results and treated Sam’s blood pressure, bringing it down to a safe level. A potential stroke was averted.
Julie — the greatest gift our church could give
The church secretary buzzed me; a call on line one. I picked up and began talking to Julie, a lady from the community needing emergency assistance for dental care. She was 72 years of age, a widow, living on the limited funds of her husband’s social security benefits. She needed dental care desperately and the dentists she had contacted wouldn’t see her until she had $300 for the first appointment and then she would need much more the dental work. Could our church help her with some money? My immediate reaction was that she would have great difficulty raising the money she needed but if I could locate a dental program in our community that would serve her it would be better than the limited funds I might be able to give her. I ended the call with the promise to do some research and call her back. It took a couple days but I found that the county health department had recently started limited adult dental care for individuals who were clients of any one of the three health care agencies for the underserved. She was a client of Health Serve, which qualified her entry into the new dental program. The referral was the greatest gift our church could give this lady.
Zel — the greatest gift I have to offer
Zel had been recently diagnosed with breast cancer and the doctor had given her some treatment options. She entered my office seeking my opinion. I asked what were her options, which one she thought was best for her and why. Then I listened. She had thought deeply about the options and told me the pros and cons of each one. She finally had narrowed it down to the one she felt was going to be best for her. Having listened to the explanation for her choice, I told her I supported her decision. We prayed for the Lord’s blessing in her healing process. She left my office relieved that the decision was made and she had reviewed it with the Parish Nurse. As a Parish Nurse, listening is one of the greatest gifts I have to offer. |
