Resources - Rural Nursing Outreach
Mission
In conjunction with Georgia Southern University’s mission to serve the southeast region of Georgia, the School of Nursing’s Rural Nursing Outreach Program (RNOP) is committed to providing quality health care using a health promotion and illness/disease prevention model to meet the health care needs of underserved, vulnerable, and culturally diverse rural populations. The RNOP is a nurse-managed, collaborative community-based program that fosters faculty and student integration of education, research, and practice through the use of rural nursing centers and outreach activities.
Goals
Using a collaborative community- based model, the RNOP:
Administers episodic care to underserved, vulnerable, and culturally-diverse persons residing in rural areas to promote health and prevent illness/disease.
Provides a practice arena for faculty to serve as role models for students by demonstrating exemplary levels of nursing practice.
Expands learning opportunities for students to broaden their knowledge-base regarding the cultural-diversity and practice of rural nursing.
Establishes outreach activities for students to conduct educational programs that support healthy lifestyles.
Generates opportunities for faculty and student practice, research, and professional development.
Serves as a networking resource for persons and communities seeking nursing care or other health related referrals.
Program Initiatives
Under the auspices of the RNOP, program initiatives include:
1. The Rural Community Nursing Center that opened in the summer of 1994. The free standing center is located in Portal, Georgia. Health promotion and illness/disease prevention services include: glaucoma, blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular, osteoporosis, and STD screening; breast examinations; nutrition counseling; HIV/AIDS and Sickle cell counseling and referral; women’s health,. physical examinations; flu and pneumococcal immunizations; and children’s well-checks. Other prevention services include: cardiopulmonary respiratory (CPR) classes, low impact aerobics, and other educational classes, and AARP income tax services.
2. The Community Nursing Center that opened in January of 2004. The 1000 square center is housed in the School of Nursing, located on the campus of Georgia Southern University. Services include: glaucoma, blood pressure, cardiovascular, diabetic, STD, and osteoporosis screening; HIV/AIDS counseling and referral; Sickle cell counseling; children’s well checks; women’s health; PPD skin testing; nutrition counseling; physical examinations; sports physicals; flu, tetanus, and pneumococcal immunizations.
3. Laboratory testing is provided at the centers and outreach clinics for clients under CLIA regulations.
4. Migrant outreach services in the Southeast counties of Georgia - Tattnall, Toombs,
Screven, and Evans.
5. Partnerships to deliver health promotion services to area schools, industries, and
community groups.
6. On campus and community outreach activities include, such as: Health Fairs and Health Screens directed at Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, and Stroke conducted in the Southeast counties of Georgia..
History
The Beginning
The RNOP’s first initiative was establishment of the Rural Nursing Community Center of Portal, Georgia.
In 1993, responding to the expressed needs of a rural Georgia community, Pat Brannen (Georgia Southern University graduate nursing student) completed a community assessment of Portal, Georgia. Findings from that assessment provided the impetus for what has become a truly community-based health care practice setting, the Georgia Southern University School of Nursing Rural Nursing Community Center. Located 12 miles from the nearest town, Portal has a population of approximately 590 people. Known historically as "Turpentine City," a leading industry in the small community is still related to the turpentine still used in separating turpentine from the pine tree resin abundant in this rural community. Portal desperately needed health care to serve its largely poor, underserved, often uninsured population. Portal residents had been without healthcare services since the 1980 death of Dr. J.A. Stewart, the last full-time physician to practice in the area. Portal citizens, effective community activists, were a cohesive group eager to attract health care to their town. Faced with multiple unmet health needs, the community was overwhelmingly supportive of working with the Georgia Southern University School of Nursing to establish health services for its residents. What followed was an exemplary model for community and health care provider partnership.
The community assessment of Portal revealed many unmet health needs of older adults, children, teenagers, and adults in the community. Diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and obesity (major problems of Portal residents) were compounded by a general lack of transportation to health care facilities in the region and a specific lack of fiscal reserves to secure needed services. Using the community assessment as a springboard, Pat Brannen and the School of Nursing faculty actively engaged community leaders from the Portal City Council in identifying resources that could be combined to meet the needs of local residents.
A successful Indigent Care Trust Fund grant, written by the School of Nursing, helped fund an initial cooperative venture between the Georgia Southern University School of Nursing, the Georgia Southern University College of Health and Human Sciences, the local Bulloch Memorial Hospital and the Southeast Public Health District Unit. An agreement outlining two phases of care delivery was developed. In Phase I, health promotional and preventive services were initiated, and in Phase II, episodic health care services were established.
Phase I
In the summer of 1994, Phase I, the health promotion and preventative services began with blood pressure screenings, health counseling and referrals provided by advanced practice nurses, graduate and undergraduate nursing students, and nursing faculty. Held initially in one room of the City Hall, services were soon moved to a newly renovated beauty and barbershop building donated to the School of Nursing by a Portal family. Portal citizens collaborated their resources, efforts and time to transform this humble building into a fully functional nursing center. Community members painted the entire building, replaced windows, doors and the roof, carpeted the building, and installed fire exits, heating and air conditioning units. The local high school art teacher painted a sign for the building while the Busy Bees Senior Citizen Women's Club donated shrubbery and made curtains. Soon, Georgia Southern University nurses were providing blood pressure screening with a teaching emphasis, answering the many questions Portal clients had regarding their diets, medications, and daily health activities.
By 1995, the nursing community center supported a part-time advanced practice nurse who could provide continuity of care as well as supervise clinical experiences for graduate and undergraduate nursing students. Nursing faculty assisted in covering the expanding demands of the nursing center. Soon, the center expanded care delivery services to include: podiatric care, foot massage clinics, computerized health risk assessments, EKG, bench aerobics and power walking classes, laboratory testing (including hemoglobin, blood sugar, cholesterol and urine testing), health education classes specific to hypertension, diet, diabetes, labor and delivery issues for teenage mothers, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation classes. A local CPA even began to provide free tax services for senior citizens who frequented the clinic.
The Progression
Phase II
By 1997, center practitioners were conducting nursing research studies evaluating hypertension in African American men over the age of 40 who lived in the community. With the addition of a full time advanced nurse practitioner collaborating with a medical director, the center staff was ready to move into Phase II with the advent of episodic health care for the Portal residents. Funded largely by government monies for indigent care (Georgia Indigent Care Funds) and staffed by one advanced nurse practitioner, a center director, a secretary and many advanced nurse practitioner volunteers, the Rural Nursing Community Center in Portal serves the majority of health care needs for the community. Over 244 clients actively use the clinic, The center has served over 7500 clients in its blood pressurescreenings, conducted laboratory services for over 120 clients (a number of whom who have been diagnosed with early breast and prostate malignancies), seen over 85 clients with foot care needs, conducted aerobic classes for over 24 clients, provided prostrate screening for over 74 clients and provided vaccinations for over 60 clients. A teen outreach clinic designed to serve teens with health care issues (including pregnancies) who have been unserved due to the lack of resources was also housed at the Center.
Without question, the health care of 2,800 people residing in Portal and immediate surrounding areas has been greatly enhanced by the presence of the School of Nursing Rural Nursing Community Center. Both the effort and the outcome of creating and managing the center have been monumental. The rewards are seen in the faces of healthier and happier rural citizens.
To inquire about services or make an appointment, please call (912) 865-5033.
The Expansion
The RNOP’s second initiative was the expansion of services at the Portal Nursing Center and the establishment of a Community Nursing Center in the School of Nursing at Georgia Southern University.
Portal Nursing Center
In 2001, Dr. Stanley Shin who is a cardiologist in Statesboro, Georgia began offering services to residents of Portal at the nursing community center. Between 2000-2002, several outreach activities were conducted at the Willow Hill Community Development Center in Portal, Georgia. Approximately 25 older adults underwent health screens and 18 women had mammogramsperformed by St. Joseph/Candler staff using a mobile unit at the center. Nursing students conducted low impact aerobic exercises for persons participating in center activities.
Establishment of a Community Nursing Center in the School of Nursing at Georgia Southern University.
On January 24, 2004, the Community Nursing Center officially opened in the School of Nursing. Health promotion activities provided have included: Diabetic Foot Care Clinics; glaucoma, diabetic, stroke, osteoporosis, and hypertensive health screens for older adults and disabled persons; EKGs; women’s health; sports physicals; migrant clinics; and vision/hearing, scoliosis, and dental checks of elementary/middle/high school students residing in several Southeast counties of Georgia. Health care of clients at the center has been directed towards: underserved, vulnerable, and culturally-diverse rural populations; faculty and staff of Georgia Southern University; and the Statesboro community. To inquire about services or make an appointment, please call (912) 478-5166.
Health promotion outreach services for 2004-2005 is being further developed in the RNOP. Recently, a Health Needs Survey was conducted in 21 counties of Southeast Georgia by two graduate nursing students, Paula Millhouse and Jennifer Baillie. Selected health needs that will be addressed include: obesity, Diabetes Mellitus, hypertension, teen pregancy, and HIV.
If you have specific questions about the RNOP, please contact Catherine Reavis, EdD, RN,CS, FNP Director, Rural Nursing Outreach Program/Georgia Southern University School of Nursing, at creavis@georgiasouthern.edu or (912) 478-5739.
Rev: 1/02, 1/03, 7/04 & 4/05
