Statistics show that West Virginians are slightly above or just below the national average in all the leading causes of death (e.g. heart disease, stroke). Studies have revealed that, generally, people within the Appalachian culture are hesitant to accept information and advice from those that they perceive to be outside their culture. This perception often creates a barrier to accessing the information, resources, and services they need to achieve their highest wellness potential, whether physically or spiritually.

For many people, the church is a vital part of their lives. The 1993 Statistics of the United States Department of Health and Human Services reported that two thirds of all rural elderly people attended weekly church services. Only one third of all rural elderly people reported being involved in any other community group and some of this number may have been church attendees (Rydholm, 1997).

A study performed by the United Methodist Church (1998) found that 51 percent of the residents in Wood County attend church on a regular basis. Further, people tend to turn to their faith to interpret their misfortunes, to summon the strength to fight illness, and to promote well-being. Faith communities are the places where, as voluntary institutions in our society, health and wellness can span generations and reach over two-thirds of our population. Congregations can develop a sense of meaning, purpose, and control in their lives by understanding the emotional and spiritual dynamics associated with physical illness. A caring faith community with an intentional health and healing ministry has an opportunity to fill many gaps through a "whole person" approach to care.

According to the World Health Organization, "Health is more than the absence of disease. Health is a state of optimal well-being." There is a contemporary movement away from identifying "health" as related only to the physical body, toward a vision of wholistic health that includes the body, mind, spirit, community, and environment. Thus, achieving wellness in this broader, or wholistic, sense includes and integrates all these elements in the journey to health as "optimal well-being."

"This understanding of health correlates with the core values of the Sisters of St. Joseph Charitable Fund," says Sister Jane Harrington, Executive Director. "Wellness promotion, development of healthy lifestyles, disease prevention, and spiritual health," she continues, "particularly for persons who are vulnerable and without access to needed resources, are among the primary outcomes of a health ministry and our Health Ministry Initiative."

Health ministry emphasizes wholeness of the mind, body, and spirit in congregations of faith. Healing, health, and wellness are promoted among congregation members and people in the wider community. It is a cooperative effort that may include congregation members, hospitals, and community health agencies, all interested in health and wholeness.

Research indicates that two thirds of deaths in Americans, before the age of 65, are preventable. Early detection of disease and intervention programs for people identified as high risk and/or with existing chronic illnesses can make a significant difference in the outcomes that they experience. As a way to address these concerns, health ministry programs are being formed in congregational settings in response to an increase in health information and desire to lead healthier lifestyles. A health ministry can be highly effective in impacting health outcomes of congregation members and the community by facilitating healing and wholeness through ways in which cure and medical treatment may not be possible.

One model of a health ministry is a parish nurse. Parish Nursing is an emerging field of practice integrating faith and health while focusing on health promotion, health maintenance, and illness prevention. It holds the spiritual dimension to be central to the practice, but also encompasses the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of nursing. Parish nursing is practiced within a faith community and is based on the assessed needs of that group of people. He or she is a registered nurse with additional training, specifically in parish nursing, who assists members of the congregation to become more aware of their health and to move toward a fuller sense of wholeness. Most often they act as health counselors and educators, community resource liaisons and facilitators.