One of the two major goals of Healthy People 2010 focuses on eliminating health disparities. To meet this goal there is need for effective educational and community based interventions. Care in the community is a key approach to reaching vulnerable populations, and schools are a significant means of reaching children. This project describes a faculty practice in an inner city parochial school focused on health promotion and disease prevention. The parochial school board asked the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing to be partners, to help develop and implement a comprehensive school health program. As part of our established community outreach program, this school health program has provided the opportunity for faculty to work as role models with outreach students in developing culturally appropriate health education materials for children age 4 to 13. These work study students are at the site for 12 to18 months, allowing them to creatively develop programs based on assessed community need. This school program has resulted in increased dialogue and sharing of knowledge among pediatric and community health faculty in practice. It affords opportunity for learning experiences for nursing students at all levels, providing, for example, free physical for uninsured children with the nurse practitioner students, immunization and home visiting services with community health students, and health screenings with pediatric students. It has served as an example of a creative partnership that mutually benefits the community and the School of Nursing. It is a model that can reach at-risk children in need.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participants in this session will be able to: 1. Describe the components and participants of this school health program. 2. List the advantages of this partnership to the community and to the school of nursing. 3. Analyze this model as one method to decrease health disparities in the community
Keywords: School-Based Health Care, Community-Based Partnership
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.