Bev Wiehoff
RN, Sartell
Pastoral Associate Deb Rudolph, asked Bev, a Health & Wellness Committee member, if she was interested in becoming a FCN-and there was a class coming up soon! Bev said yes, and quickly registered for the class taught by Joann Wessman, RN, PhD, offered by the Faith Community Nurse Network of the Greater Twin Cities, in October of 2014. When Deb asked her, she says it was an “easy decision” and the “right time.” So what brought her to this “right time” to be a Faith Community Nurse? Like all FCNs, she has an enormous wealth of knowledge and expertise from her nursing career and states she has always gone to church and had a deep faith that has been a cornerstone of her life.
Bev graduated from the St. Cloud Hospital School of Nursing and went to work in ICU at the hospital. She accepted a clinic position at the St. Cloud Clinic of Internal Medicine to start a diabetes program. That was eliminated after a while and she went into the cancer research area there. She is remembered as a friendly face of the clinic, a nurse who called you in to see the doctor and was remembered for her care and concern. Then to the Endocrine Center at River Campus; then to the Diabetes Center in Waite Park as an Educator. CentraCare then developed a Diabetes Center at the Plaza Campus and she was the Coordinator and Manager for six years. She relates that in 2009 she had surgery, and it did not go as well as planned and so she retired from nursing.
What would she do now? Retiring early was not her plan. Her nursing career in many areas and through many changes in the St. Cloud Hospital, CentraCare showed her adaptability. She found she loved volunteering. First in the classroom of the Oak Ridge Elementary School room her daughter taught in, in Sartell. She enjoyed it! Now her volunteering includes the Health & Wellness Committee at St. Francis Church, which meets every other month; Project Baby Blankets at her church where a group makes baby blankets for each of 60-70 new babies each year; collating bulletins at church each Friday; being in charge of the monthly Hospitality after the three weekend masses from Sept. to May. She schedules workers and orders food which includes 24 dozen donuts on Sundays; being Fraternal Secretary for Catholic United Financial, putting together the agenda, and organizing meetings four times a year and helping the group conduct an annual raffle which raises $12,000-13,000 for the St. Francis School; being Chairperson for the Parish Council; volunteer in the BeFriender Program and Faith Formation at church; and Eucharistic Minister, and Lector. Bev says her personal goal is to pass her faith on to her grandchildren. This is what they call “a good start.”
Bev told me her faith really grew when she became involved in church activities. She says she had a strong calling to that and being a Faith Community Nurse is a collaboration of all her life long nursing work, and involvement in her church. She loves having three FCNs, a wonderful Health & Wellness Committee, and a Supervisor of the program, the Pastoral Associate, Deb Rudolph, who saw one more volunteer opportunity for her, and being on a team of Faith Community Nurses, Pastor, Priest & Deacons and Pastoral Associate and church staff, providing holistic care for members of St. Francis church.
Learn more about St. Francis Xavier's health and wellness work.
