A statewide health district initiative to promote Comprehensive Adolescent Health Services (CAPS) through a disciplinary training program was implemented. The Youth Development Coordinator (YDC) infrastructure was utilized as a means to connect with each health district. The role of the YDC was to serve as a resource organizer among the related health disciplines who provide health services to adolescents in a variety of creative contexts.
Each YDC was partnered with a graduate-nursing student enrolled in a local advanced nurse practitioner program. Each graduate nurse was to serve in the capacity of an adolescent health consultant who mutually identified an adolescent health need to be addressed within that health district. In collaboration with the YDC, the student would then conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, and develop an intervention strategy and evaluation plan for the adolescent health need.
There were numerous benefits as a result of this project. The graduate-nursing student had the opportunity to immerse in a clinically based consultative opportunity, hence developing stronger consultancy and evaluation skills; while gaining a greater knowledge of the public health model. The YDC received the benefit of having a devoted health professional addressing complex and multidimensional concerns of youth today. Additionally, adolescents seeking services were more likely to access teen services that were more developmentally, culturally, and contextually tailored to their unique needs. The student-public health partnership model, adolescent health services assessment data, and intervention/evaluation plans will be shared.
See www.gsu.edu/~wwwvrc/caps.htm
Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives: Following this session, the participant will be able to: 1. Describe a student-public health partnership model intended for the advancement of comprehensive health service support for adolescents throughout the state of Georgia. 2. Discuss the goals and objectives of this unique service-focused academic pursuit. 3. Discuss the outcomes and benefits to all stakeholders associated with this public health model of collaboration. 4. Discuss the challenges, successes, and recommendations associated with this student-public health partnership.
Keywords: Adolescent Health, Public Health Education and Health Promotion
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.