Welcome to the LFCNA Region 8 web page.
Allow us to introduce ourselves.

If you have news to share from your Synod or Network, let us know so we can post.

Ruth Manchester originally hails from Minnesota, and after taking her nurses training at Methodist-Kahler School of Nursing in Rochester, MN and obtaining a BSN at the University of Minnesota, she then moved to the Washington, DC area. She has been a paid Parish Nurse at Saint Luke Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, MD for the past 24 years. In this capacity, she is in charge of Caring Ministries, Social Ministry, and the one-to-one caring that a Parish Nurse does. She has an MA in art history from the University of Maryland, so combines her love of art with Parish Nursing. She is wife to Paul, mom to Sarah and Dan and “Grandma” to Raina, Alden, Evan, and Aaron. She serves on the LFCNA Membership and Outreach Committees.

Marilee Tollefson is from South Dakota, has a BSN from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, during which time she joined the Army Student Nurse Program, and was on active duty for 23 years. During that time she earned her MSN from the University of Colorado, and upon retirement from the Army Nurse Corps, worked at Children’s Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, DC. She is currently paid staff faith community nurse at Lutheran Church of St. Andrew in Silver Spring, MD for the past 25 years, coordinating care teams, serving as staff liaison to Social Ministry, and supporting many volunteers on the Health and Wellness Teams.  Marilee is married to Luther, has two daughters, Sara and Mari Liv and is “Mimi” to Lauren, Eric, and Emery. She serves on the Membership, Outreach, and Grants Committees for the organization. 

Margie Kay received her AA Nursing Degree in 1975 from Montgomery College. Upon graduation she participated in a Nursing Internship at the University of Alabama Medical Center In Birmingham Alabama. In 1994 she became a Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and in 1996, completed the Certification Course to become a Faith Community Nurse. Most of Margie's Nursing career has been focused on Maternal/Child and Community Education which was hospital based here in the Baltimore area.

She has served as a volunteer Faith Community Nurse at three congregations, and currently serves as the chair of the Health Ministry Team and Congregation Care Committee for St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Lutherville, Maryland. For several years she was an instructor for Faith Community Nurse course at Franklin Square Medical Center. Margie has been an member of LFCNA for several years and is a member of the Education Committee. Besides active ministry at her home church, she also volunteers weekly at her neighborhood elementary school providing clerical support for the 3^rd and 5^th grade faculty.

All three Parish/Faith Community Nurses were members of the Holy Cross Hospital network of Faith Community Nurses, which is in transition.

A Message from Secretary Roques

As we welcome spring, I hope you're enjoying the warmer temperatures, extended sunlight, and new blossoms as much as I am. While winter is a season of introspection and reflection, spring is a time of new growth, fresh starts, and excitement about the possibilities ahead. We at the Department of Aging are excited about the future as we cultivate new growth through Longevity Ready Maryland, or LRM, our multisector plan for aging that will improve Maryland’s aging infrastructure to accommodate a growing population of older adults and help Maryland communities thrive in the years to come. When Governor Wes Moore signed the LRM Executive Order earlier this year, he planted the seed for how our state will meet the twenty-first century needs of our rapidly changing demographic. I encourage you to read more below about LRM and our support for a similar national initiative being proposed under the Older Americans Act. Before closing out, I want to extend my heartfelt condolences on behalf of the department to the families and friends of the six individuals lost during the cataclysmic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. I also want to recognize the brave emergency response teams and express our gratitude for their dedication and ongoing response to the Key Bridge incident. As we begin the long and complicated recovery, I am reminded of the strength and resilience of Marylanders and our ability to come together in times of crisis. The department has reached out to our Area Agencies on Aging who provide direct services across the state to ensure older adults and caregivers are able to receive the support and services they need during this difficult time. We will keep the lines of communication open and continue to monitor the situation for the foreseeable future.

Maryland Nurses - 

Dear Licensee/Certificate Holder. During the 2021 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed a new law that goes into effect on April 1, 2022, requiring all renewing licensees and certificate holders to complete an implicit bias training program approved by the Cultural and Linguistic Health Care Professional Competency Program. All licensees and certificate holders scheduled to renew their license or certification in 2022 must complete one course of the program before applying for renewal. This is a one-time requirement. The law may be accessed here: https://health.maryland.gov/mhhd/Pages/Implicit-Bias-Resources.aspx

Click here for the list of approved program courses

Best Regards,

Karen Evans, MSN RN-BC, SD-CLTC

Executive Director

Maryland Board of Nursing

Maryland Board of Nursing

NAMI Montgomery County, Maryland

Link to support group information:  https://namimc.org/support-and-education/support-groups/ 

Workshops and Educational Programs 

Upcoming Workshops

Events | Trinity Health System (holycrosshealth.org)

Highlighting Community Partners

Lock and TALK Virginia provides services and materials designed to promote safe and responsible care of guns, medication, and other lethal means.  www.lockandtalk.org

Mental Health First Aid USA is a skills-based training course that teaches participants about mental health and substance-use issues.   www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org