Community Preventive Health Collaborative

Background: Kern County is located in the Southern Central Valley of California and ranks poorly in the state for adults with diagnosed diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease. There is a great need for health services that emphasize health teaching, detection of problems early, and link individuals to resources. Description: Community Preventive Health Collaborative (CPHC) is a program that allows student nurses to provide health teaching and health screenings including blood pressure, blood sugar, total cholesterol, and BMI, to underserved populations. In addition, when elevations are found, referrals are initiated and students follow up with participants who received referrals. Lessons Learned: Student nurses are knowledgeable about a number of health conditions. In addition, they receive education about therapeutic communication and cultural sensitivity. Under the supervision of nursing faculty, student nurses work as a team to perform a health history interview, health screening tests, and health counseling to participants screened at CPHC clinics. Collaboration with community agencies allows student nurses to go out to various locations in the county to provide services. Recommendations: Student nurses are an effective resource to help meet a great community need. CPHC can be replicated in a number of underserved communities where nursing programs are operated. Similar programs can provide clinical experiences for student nurses in the community health setting and assist underserved populations with health services that they would not have had access to if it had not been for student nurses.