Nurse-led access to care points within faith communities aim to improve mental health in rural Mingo County
KERMIT, W.Va. — James and Nicole Messer, both masters-prepared nurses and WVU School of Nursing-trained Faith Community Nurses, have been working to improve mental health for members of the Jenny’s Creek Gospel Church and the broader community of Kermit in Mingo County.
Mingo County consistently ranks higher when compared to other West Virginia counties for poor health-related outcomes. James and Nicole are both trained in the National Foundations of Faith Community Nursing course.
The husband and wife have spent the last year focusing on mental health and the opioid epidemic in Mingo County. Their work includes support, screening and education of the congregants and surrounding community members.
The Messers have spent much of their careers focusing on mental health. James Messer, MSN, RN, has spent 10 years teaching mental health at the undergraduate nursing level and has worked as a mental health provider in an inpatient facility. Nicole Messer, MSN, RN, has worked in long-term care, and mental health.
“I thank God for leading me in the direction of becoming a Faith Community Nurse. I have faith that God will continue to guide me in helping others,” Nicole said.
“I want everyone to be treated with respect and the way I would want to be treated,” James said. “I always keep diversity, equity and inclusion as one of my basic ethical foundations.”
This approach has helped them to build trust within the community and has laid the foundation for the first mini-health fair, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 24 at Jenny’s Creek Church.
The mini-health fair will include both mental health services and routine health checks, such as blood pressure, blood sugar, and oxygen saturation. The faith community nurses hope to encourage community members who do not attend services at the church to attend the fair by advertising via social media and flyers.
Facilitating access for the next generation of leaders from within Mingo County starts at the high school level, the Messers say. High School student volunteers will be helping with the health fair, and James and Nicole hope to get more of the local youth involved.
In the future, they will be offering mental health first aid and Narcan (naloxone) administration classes and will provide information about where free medications to use in overdose situations can be obtained. They also hope to educate on and remove the stigma around mental health.
The Messers plan to work with local clinics and a psych mental health nurse practitioner via telehealth to offer the people in Jenny’s Creek a way to receive treatment for mental health conditions.
“We are so happy to be doing something to help the community of Mingo County. We are thankful to our church for allowing us to do this, for Dr. Angel Smothers for guiding us, for the support from the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington, and for our fellow Faith Community Nurses all over the state.”
James and Nicole’s efforts have been supported by funding from the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington, which was awarded via the WVU Foundation, a non-profit organization that receives and administers donations on behalf of the University.
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ey.ky/06/20/2023