Ridgewood United Methodist Church, Parma OH - Where Faith Grows

Parish Nurse, Sandy Levy, RN

Meet Our Parish Nurse

Parish Nurse, Sandy Levy, RNSandy Levy became the Parish Nurse at Ridgewood United Methodist Church in October of 2002, through the Fairview Hospital Parish Nurse Program. If you ask her what made her choose Parish Nursing, she would tell you that through all her years of nursing, she always saw the need to address more than just a person's physical and medical needs. She feels that it is a wholistic approach to someone's well-being - Mind, Body, and Spirit - that leads to good health.

She grew up here in Parma, and has been a member of Ridgewood since 1959. Sandy attended the Fairview Hospital School of Nursing and graduated in 1973, going on to work at Parma General Hospital. She has worked in Med/Surg, the Intensive Care Unit, the Emergency Room and Home Health Care prior to obtaining her Parish Nurse certification.

Sandy married her husband, Dale, in 1975 at Ridgewood. They have three grown sons, Scott, Chris and Andy.

Sandy's regular office hours are on Mondays, and once a month, blood pressure and screenings will be held in the Parish Nurse office on Sunday mornings. Please watch the Calendar for screening dates, as well as other health programs, such as CPR classes that you can participate in.

About the Parish Nurse Program

Parish nursing is an idea born out of the understanding of the healing ministry of the church and the need to return to health care that focuses on the whole person to emphasize wellness, disease prevention, and health promotion. Because they focus on wellness, disease prevention and health promotion, parish nurses often provide health screenings for congregations.

Sometimes called the Minister of Health, a parish nurse is a registered nurse with additional training who serves members of the congregation and often people in the community as well. The role of a parish nurse is not primarily to deal with sickness but more significantly to be:
  • a health educator and teacher to promote healthy lifestyles and help people understand the relationships between lifestyle, faith and well-being
  • a personal health counselor to help people sort out health problems and make appropriate plans for handling them
  • a communication link and support for community health resources and services, to provide referrals and be a liaison for the church and its members
  • a teacher of volunteers to recruit members and train them to carry out a range of supportive services
  • an organizer of health support groups to assist groups in the congregation with particular concerns
  • a resource to assist with the assessment of congregational and community health needs.
The parish nurse program affirms the church as a place for prevention of illness or "disease," as it teaches and supports us in living with "ease" physically, spiritually, emotionally and socially.