St. Mary's Parish Nurse Ministry Program
Ruth E. Williams, RN, MEPD, MSN

Dear Viewers, Peace to all in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! This month is observed for National Safety Week 1-7; National Headache Awareness Week 7-13; and National Scoliosis Awareness Month. Psalm 37:3 states, "Trust in the Lord and do good, that you may dwell in the land and enjoy security."

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Let's examine rural health. Rural as defined by Webster's Dictionary is derived from the Latin 'ruralis' meaning country; pertaining to the country as distinguished from a city or town; suiting the country or resembling it; pertaining to agriculture or farming; and pertaining to population density and geographic location. Health (Old English-haelth) according to the Webster's Dictionary is derived from the (Old English-haelan) to heal, salvation, grace, favour, and the state of being sound of body parts. What are some issues in rural health? To name a few: about 10 percent (%) of physicians practice in America's rural areas; only one-third of all motor accidents occur in rural areas, but two thirds of the deaths are attributed to these accidents that occur on rural roads; rural people tend to be poor (14% below poverty level); percentage of America's rural population is 25% compared to 75%+ in the urban areas;abuse of alcohol, and smokeless tobacco is found in the rural youth and the suicide rate in rural men is higher than in the urban areas(www.ruralhealthweb.org) How can the parish nurse help in rural areas? They can provide spiritual support, guidance, health education especially in safety issues, and be an advocate to their people. Visit your PARISH NURSE. HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY SUMMER! John 15:5 - "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who lives in me and I in him, will produce abundantly for apart from me, you can do nothing." My book, A COLLECTION OF PARISH NURSE NEWSLETTERS is available at www.dorrancebookstore.com; amazon.com; Eden Book Store (1-877-627-5653) toll free. Ocooch Book Store (1-608-647-8826).