Nursing Students Present Grants to Area Health-Related Groups

Students of the UC College of Nursing presented grant monies to five non-profit organizations providing health-related services during an award ceremony Tuesday, June 3 at Procter Hall.  Requests for proposals were sent to non-profit organization administrators in the East End, City of Hamilton and Price Hill at the end of April. Organizations were required to submit health project proposals geared toward the betterment of specified health issues within their community. 

This unique program, made possible by funding from The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, provided senior nursing students at the UC College of Nursing with the opportunity to apply concepts from their community health nursing course to the improvement of health problems in the three communities.    

The following organizations received funding to carry out proposed health projects: 

East End

Mt. Washington Church of Christ Outreach-$4,000

With the grant monies, Mt. Washington Church of Christ Outreach will sponsor a program for identifying and supporting expectant mothers with prenatal and neonatal nutritional education using the "food pantry" menu and donated supplements.  They plan to develop prenatal food lists for pantry distribution, identify expectant moms at low risk for substance abuse, and nutritionally support nursing mothers.  Mt. Washington Church of Christ Outreach plans to provide prenatal vitamins, calcium supplements and increased folic acid to expectant mothers.  They also plan to identify diabetic clients and provide diabetic supplies and specific education to better manage their disease using the "food pantry" menu. They will also regularly monitor weight gain.  Diabetic clients will receive a month's supply of test strips, become compliant with daily accucheck logs and receive timely diabetic testing.  For more information, contact Jennifer Cowgill, outreach director, at 232-5202 or 225-4369.

Hamilton

Butler County Community Health Center/New Miami School-Linked Health Center-$4,000

Butler County Community Health Center (BCCHC) will host a pediatric health fair and offer free thermometers and literature prior to the onset of flu and viral season.  BCCHC will also host a Tobacco Cessation event on National Smoke-Out Day, November 2003.  Staff will be on hand to counsel patients about the real possibility of quitting smoking.  Each patient will receive a demonstration of the Nicotrol Inhaler and a publication from the American Lung Association.  New Miami School-Linked Health Center will obtain a "Baby Think it Over" program for use in the health curriculum of New Miami Schools.  This program offers education for making informed decisions about parenting.  For more information, contact Brenda Young, RN C-FNP, at 892-1888.

Price Hill

Quebec Heights Elementary, Cincinnati Public School-$750

Quebec Heights will use their monies to implement an "Everybody Counts" program.  This program is designed to introduce students to experiences of living with a disability and to help them learn about coping with that disability.  The goal of the program is to teach students to empathize with those living with disability and accept diversity.  For more information, contact Debbie Turley, RN, at 363-4521

Whittier Elementary School, Cincinnati Public School-$1,420

Whittier plans to use the monies to sponsor two programs:

"Discover Health! Adventures in Learning" -- a local non-profit education program aimed at elementary age students. This traveling program brings its professional educators to sites on a 38-foot interactive learning van.

"Puberty Education" -- a two-day teaching presentation taught by Social Health Education Inc. geared toward promoting age appropriate information about physical and emotional changes a student goes through during puberty.  For more information, contact Linda Flohr, RN, at 244-3090.

The Women's Connection-$1,830

The Women's Connection will use their monies to assist the Price Hill Women's Health Fair in its mission to provide basic health screenings.  These screenings include appropriate referrals, educational materials and individualized health education.  Screenings may include the following: mammograms, vaginal exams, gonorrhea and chlamydia testing, finger sticks for blood cholesterol and glucose levels, osteoporosis screening, and vision and hearing testing.  Educational activities include cardiac and stroke risk assessment, sexually transmitted disease education, dental health education, and depression and mental health education.  Holistic modalities including massage are also available.  In 2002, more than 150 women attended the fair.  This year's fair will take place on October 4 at Seton High School from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.  For more information, contact Kathleen R. Hebbbeler at 471-4673. 

To speak with a student representative from the UC College of Nursing, contact Dama Kimmon at 558-4553.  For more information about the program, contact Mariann Lovell, RN, PhD, assistant professor, UC College of Nursing, at (513) 558-5230 or

mariann.lovell@uc.edu

.