Dear Friends,
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we would be remiss not to acknowledge the tremendous contribution women in nursing have made to the profession, gender and racial equity, and health care. Some of the notables from the 19th century who contributed to this legacy include Florence Nightingale, a social reformer who founded modern nursing, and Dorothea Dix, who testified to legislation about the poor treatment of patients with mental illness; and Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross. This list continued to grow through the next century to include nurses being elected to public office, implementing new models of nursing education, and rising in the ranks of the military as they served our country. The history of nursing is very much defined by smart, innovative, and energetic women who have made a difference not only for the profession but for the world. And, as the history of nursing reminds us of the impact nurses had on public health over the past two centuries, this month, our guest editorial addresses health literacy, a foundational support for any public health system.
Best Wishes,
|
|
Tara A. Cortes, PhD, RN, FAAN |
|
HIGN Scholars Empowering Older Adults in the Community
Cynthia Chong, MPA
HIGN
|
|
As health care providers and advocates, it’s crucial that we provide opportunities to increase health literacy to mitigate health disparities and improve health outcomes. When individuals are better informed about their health conditions, they are better able to manage them and communicate with their providers. HIGN continues its efforts to improve older adults’ health outcomes by providing education programs within the community.
Currently, HIGN is working with the undergraduate program at NYU Meyers to include health education programming in the community into the students’ curriculum. The participants are students in our HIGN Scholars program - a selective program of undergraduate students with an interest in geriatrics. As part of their Community Health course, the students are placed in the older adult centers of Greenwich House, a community services organization. There, the scholars conduct health education workshops using HIGN prepared materials and provide health education counseling to fulfill their clinical placement requirements. The counseling includes blood pressure screening, medication reconciliation and guidance on managing chronic conditions. The students are also required to assess the center and community, and interact with the older adults and staff to learn what matters to the population. From these assessments, the nursing students tailored and gave their own presentations.
This program not only benefits older adults but it is equally as important for the students. First, it gives them experience working outside of the acute care setting. Community health needs more nurses, especially as healthcare shifts towards a model that supports population health. Exposing students to this model during their education allows them to see career possibilities outside of the hospital setting. Second, it allows students to interact with older adults outside of the acute care setting. Too often, recent graduates avoid working with older adults in healthcare settings. Due to stereotypes in our society, they may make assumptions that are rooted in ageism. Creating opportunities to interact with older adults in the community, which is where most of them live, increases the students’ comfort level in working with this population and creates a connection that counters ageism.
The success of this program lies largely on support from HIGN, guidance from Meyers’ faculty and leadership of the preceptors. The support of Greenwich House’s center directors and leadership has been vital. One of the preceptors, perfectly summarizes the importance of this program: “Healthy aging is essential for older adults aging in their community. During this clinical placement, we are truly meeting older adults where they are to promote healthy behaviors and empower them with the knowledge they need to improve their health outcomes. Meyers nursing students are embracing this precious opportunity to interact with older adults and apply their learning to the experience.”
|
|
Behavioral Health in Primary Care Across the Lifespan
Courses and Case Studies
|
|
|
|
BHPC Series:
Click here to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Health and Aging Policy Fellows
Call for 2023-2024 Applications
The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program aims to create a cadre of leaders who will serve as change agents in health and aging policy to ultimately improve the health care of older adults. The year-long fellowship offers a rich and unique training and enrichment program that is focused on current policy issues, communication skills development, and professional networking opportunities to provide Fellows with the experience and skills necessary to help affect policy.
The program has a broad interdisciplinary focus, and Fellowship cohorts have included physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, food scientists, city planners, healthcare administrators, epidemiologists, economists, and lawyers from academic and practice settings, spanning career stages from newly minted PhDs to senior professors and community leaders
The one-year Fellowship runs from October 1 – September 30 and has full-time and part-time tracks. It is conducted as a hybrid program of mentoring, networking, learning and practicum experiences. The submission deadline is April 17th.
Click here to learn more and apply
|
|
HIGN Highlights
Dr. Brianna Morgan, PhD, RN has started as a postdoctoral associate in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care in the Grossman School of Medicine and will be working across several projects at Grossman and HIGN over the next two years. She is a nurse scientist and recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing PhD program.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
