Harris College of Nursing seniors engage in, report on community and public health projects

Fort Worth, Texas

11/30/2010

On Nov. 19 2010, upcoming December graduates discussed community and public health projects they took part in during their final semester at TCU’s Harris College of Nursing.

Projects varied widely, but all were based on education and awareness in healthcare-related topics. The college’s long-standing relationship with the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth was illustrated by many groups’ work with various Catholic schools. Seven groups representing each project presented a summary of their work, with details of their resulting impact as follows:

• "Fight the Flu: Health Education and Publicity" and "Frognation Immunizations" – For three years, the Harris College of Nursing has worked with TCU to provide a holistic awareness program related to the seasonal flu and has administered free immunizations to faculty, staff and students (paid for by the university). This year, one group focused on the educational side, arranging for several communications opportunities. These efforts included meeting with various student organizations, creating bilingual collateral pieces, and hosting promotional events on campus. The second group focused on working out the logistics of setting up the immunization clinic and working with key university personnel to create an efficient and safe atmosphere. Throughout the course of the day, the students administered 2,400 flu vaccinations.
  
  
  
• "Tech Savvy" – This group partnered with St. George Catholic School to teach seventh and eighth graders about Internet safety, specifically regarding social media. Following their two "intervention days," the school’s principal, surprised at evidence of the students’ wide adoption and usage of social media, opted to organize a parent intervention plan to better address students’ social media activities.
  
  
  
• "Super Safety Stars" – This group also worked with St. George students, this time with first-third graders, to educate them on fire safety, stranger danger and personal safety. They worked with the Fort Worth Police and Fire departments to make the student’s learning more interactive. For personal safety, this group taught students about personal space, "safe secrets" and how to create boundaries with others.
  
  
• "Food, Fitness and Fun" – This group partnered with Our Mother of Mercy first-fourth graders to improve the healthy lifestyle deficit of most students. One "intervention day" focused on physical fitness and the other on healthy eating. Students’ completed surveys indicated a distinct improvement in nutrition knowledge and comprehension.
  
  
• "Healthy Living after Cassata" – This group focused on setting Cassata High School students on a healthy path upon graduation. They taught applicable techniques such as compression-only CPR and also provided resources for students’ health and careers.
  
  
• "Cornerstone Assistance Network: Who, What When & Where?" – This group worked with Cornerstone to asses how the organization could better serve the community in its transition from a part-time to a full-time free clinic via a review of the facility, patients and providers. Jesse Vasquez, Cornerstone’s director of community services, elected to create a new medical coordinator position based on the group’s findings. The medical director now uses the group’s report as a "handbook for what’s going on" in the clinic.