By Kenya Godette

“护士. Patient Centered.这就是bet8体育娱乐入口社区护理团队的工作方式.

Their patient-centered model, that solves health challenges faced by rural and underserved populations, is what won the 2024 Silver Rating for quality standards programs from the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC).

NAFC通过其正式的质量标准确保医疗服务不足的个人能够获得负担得起的医疗保健,这些标准是成员组织必须坚持的. Standards include quality patient care, risk management systems, clinical and pharmacy solutions and administrative tasks.  

“自私的, we joined the NAFC just to learn more about free and charitable clinics, how to run them, get resources and ask questions,” said Tammy Speerhas, director of ODU 社区 Care.

“Being a new member, they said it’s unheard of to get a silver ranking. 但我们展示了良好的质量结果,这就是我们第一年获得银牌评级的原因. I'll be shooting for gold next time.”

这是一种创新和有意的方法,使ODU社区护理在社区健康方面脱颖而出,就像他们对富兰克林县学校系统的学前班学生和七年级学生的直接影响一样. 学生必须在开学时接种疫苗,以避免与同龄人隔离, 但缺乏交通和保险等障碍阻碍了他们中的许多人在最后期限前完成任务.

社区 Care worked directly with Franklin County schools, 社会工作者, 社区合作伙伴和学校教练提供现场疫苗接种服务,以确保所有学生都遵守规定——这是洛林·格林30年职业生涯中的第一次, director of Early Childhood Western Tidewater.

“这是你们来到这里的直接反应,”格林对斯皮尔哈斯说.

社区护理获得银牌排名的另一个因素是,他们专注于评估人群对护理的社会决定因素,并提出诸如“什么会阻止某人健康”之类的重要问题?”

“有些人甚至不敢考虑药物,因为他们买不起孩子的食物,” Speerhas said.

与当地食品银行的合作为社区护理护士提供了工具,可以将患者推荐到每周的杂货收集计划中,个人可以在那里收集新鲜水果, 蔬菜, 牛奶, eggs and other food staples at no cost. 但护士并不仅仅停留在满足身体需求上,他们更关注病人的整体需求.

“如果你进来说,‘我胸痛’,我会问你所有的问题,”斯皮尔哈斯说. “因为也许你的胸痛是胃灼热,因为你的家人刚刚去世或得到了新的癌症诊断, maybe it's anxiety. 我们着眼于整个人以及所有可能影响他们健康的因素.”

Another community service that influenced the award is the student-run mobile health clinic, which hit the road in April 2023. 工作人员ed by ODU nursing students and professional nurse practitioners, 该流动单位在富兰克林和南安普敦县的农村社区提供免费保健服务. 这家诊所不仅提供运动理疗和急慢性护理等服务, it provides ODU nursing students with needed clinical rotation experience.

But mobile health services are just the tip of the iceberg for ODU’s nurses. 他们在弗吉尼亚海滩的第一个社区项目为他们今天所做的工作奠定了基础.

Through a partnership with 销部, ODU的护士建立了一个实体诊所,专注于为无家可归的人提供以病人为中心的护理. By joining nurse practitioners, nursing students and 社会工作者 under one roof, they solve serious barriers to health care like lack of trust, food and transportation.

PiN的保健服务还包括预防保健和管理疾病,以避免去急诊室. 通过这种整体和综合的方法,社区的影响是不可否认的. On the days the clinic was closed, 在急诊室就诊的患者是在急诊室的两倍——71%的患者可以在PiN接受治疗.

以PiN为模型,社区 Care现在扩展了这种方法,包括第二个地点.

“We wanted to replicate what we do at PiN at the Human Resource Center,” said Tina Gustin, associate professor in the School of Nursing.

The Human Resource Center (HRC), funded by a $300,000 grant from Sentara 健康, 还将为弗吉尼亚海滩的无家可归者提供社区关怀, while ensuring wholistic training for nursing students.

“Our goal is not just to serve the community with quality care, 而是为了让我们的学生看到他们不熟悉的人群, and who they don’t understand,古斯汀说.

The HRC has only been open since March 2024, but the team already has big goals. They hope to develop a dental clinic, formalize mental health programs, 开展伤口管理培训,教育患者何时使用诊所,何时使用急救服务.

随着ODU社区关怀将其触角伸向弗吉尼亚最脆弱的地区, it’s going to take a lot to slow them down.

“It’s big work, but we are a fearless little group of people,古斯汀说.

4月, 该团队前往巴尔的摩,与来自全国各地的大学谈论他们获得NAFC奖的工作, and their future plans. 斯皮尔回忆说,许多大学都表示,他们一直在尝试创建类似的项目,但由于后勤方面的障碍,“无法启动”.

施佩尔赞扬了护理学院的支持——没有这些支持,他们不可能建立起如此强大的服务体系.

“他们给了我们一个发挥创造力的机会,而不是把所有事情都搞得一团糟, 美丽的, little bow before we launched,”她说。. “我们告诉他们,‘我们会在飞行时建造它’,我们会继续建造. 如果我们需要跳伞,我们有降落伞,但我们要勇敢,我们要发射. Because if you keep trying to put something together until it's perfect, you're never going to launch.”

With an innovative and dedicated approach, ODU社区护理正在为服务不足的社区的优质医疗保健设立新的标准,同时为其未来的医疗保健专业人员建立培训渠道.

“In a very short period of time of having the ODU 社区 Care umbrella, we are filling that umbrella” Speerhas said. “我们正在用令人惊叹的服务来帮助社区.