Promoting Foot Care Health In Individuals Recovering From Addiction: A Collaborative And Community-Based Nursing Intervention, Erika Frahm, Kayla Goodrow, Zoe Hofmaister, Jaycie Inouye, Shuma Katori, Caleb James Maza, Fauzia Tomno

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

As housing instability and homelessness increase in King County, many basic needs, including foot care, are often unmet. According to a study on foot health among vulnerable populations, individuals may be unable to perform proper foot care due to prioritization of basic daily needs over preventative care (Razmus, 2023). Research indicates that foot-related complications are highly prevalent among vulnerable populations and may worsen without timely intervention (Haughton et al., 2026). Barriers such as fear of stigmatization and untreated mental health conditions can also limit access to healthcare services (Kimball et al., 2023). These statistics inspired the purpose of this community …

Promoting Mobility And Emotional Well-Being Through Chair Yoga In Women Experiencing Homelessness, Brenna Kiyota, Fahmo Abdi, Naretzni Ponce, Zekiya Sage Mapilisan, Taylor Krueger, Anelcy Lopez

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Promoting Mobility and Emotional Well-Being Through Chair Yoga in Women Experiencing Homelessness

This paper summarizes a project completed by nursing students at a women’s day center and transitional housing program in Washington state that supports women experiencing homelessness as they work toward stability. The center provides daytime services to more than 200 women daily who experience chronic stress, trauma, limited access to healthcare, and environmental barriers. These challenges occur within a broader regional crisis, as the 2024 Point‑in‑Time Count states that 16,868 individuals are experiencing homelessness in King County, a 26% increase from 2022 (King County Regional Homelessness Authority, 2024). …

Parent-Focused Resource And Staff Crisis Tool For Addressing Teen Suicidal Ideation, Maya Ewing, Jasmine Crisan, Delaney Fewel, Brandon Fung, Kaylee Cornejo, Alyssa Arthur, Christine Elayda

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

The team of seven Seattle Pacific University nursing students partnered with an agency that functions as a family resource center. The agency provides emergency shelter, mobile outreach, and basic needs to families in King County. The team created an evidence-based solution focused on education for suicide prevention. Additionally, the team identified a gap in available staff clinical resources during emergencies.

Improving Emergency Preparedness: Disaster Response Gap Executive Summary, Yunuen Pamatz Rangel, Angela Reine Palapos, Edward Vladimir Bondarenko, Sarah Marie Wilson, Semhar Misgina Mehari, Benjamin Lee Lucas

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Improving Emergency Preparedness: Disaster Response Gap Executive Summary

Universities in Washington State have a responsibility to maintain both educational continuity and campus safety, particularly because of the region’s vulnerability to major earthquakes. Although many institutions maintain emergency preparedness plans, the accessibility and strategic placement of emergency resources remain critical concerns. At a private university in Seattle, Washington, the project team identified gaps in earthquake preparedness related to the accessibility, visibility, and availability of emergency supplies.

This project aimed to develop a practical and achievable proposal for university leadership to strengthen disaster preparedness efforts. The project focused on improving access to …

Bridging The Vaccine Gap: Multilingual Vaccine Education For Families In Transitional Housing, Isaac Olaes, Alexia Sandoval, Kassandra Solano, Rachael Termure, Sydney Webber, Jordan West, Maya Parman

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

As part of a health promotion initiative in the community, our leadership team of seven nursing students is partnering with an agency that supports families experiencing housing instability by providing transitional housing. According to agency staff, some families have limited health literacy regarding vaccinations. Common concerns include illness following a vaccination, perceived risks of autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. To address these concerns, we have developed a vaccine education binder containing materials in handout form. To accommodate language accessibility, we provided handouts in the four most spoken languages including English, French, Amharic, and Tigrinya. Through this initiative, we aim …

The Impact Of Foot Care Education Within The Unhoused Female Population: A Community-Based Nursing Intervention, Bertha Karina Coronel Barragan, Jessica Sandoval, Afia Margaret Darko, Alexandra Elizabeth Lucero, Gloria Yeyoung Kim, Anyanka T. Ziegler

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

The Impact of Foot Care Education Within the Unhoused Female Population: A Community-based Nursing Intervention

The unhoused population is a vulnerable community that faces many obstacles in accessing healthcare (Benadda et al., 2025). Many of these individuals face stigmas related to their economic and housing conditions. It is important for nurses to be able to identify risk factors that may increase the prevalence of health-related problems, including using public health models to implement disease prevention. When discussing this population, one crucial preventative measure includes foot care, which aids in the deterrence of infections and promotes overall health (Coates et al., …

Trust Before Treatment: Educating Nurses On Trauma-Informed Care For Sex Trade Survivors, Matthew George Ditchik, Monserrat Castaneda, Daniela Tirado Osorio, Emily Haynes, Dani Salazar Tuparan, Joie Ikuzwe Mburu

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Trust Before Treatment: Educating Nurses on Trauma-Informed Care for Sex Trade Survivors

Survivors of the sex trade often seek healthcare during some of the most vulnerable times in their lives, yet many report experiences of judgment, dismissal, or re-traumatization within clinical settings. Trauma-informed care is an approach that recognizes the lasting impact trauma can have on a person’s physical and emotional well-being and calls healthcare professionals to adjust their practices to promote safety, trust, autonomy, and empowerment. Research shows that implementing trauma-informed care improves patient well-being, enhances staff collaboration, and reduces the risk of further harm (Huo et al., 2023). …

An Individualized Approach To Medication Adherence And Safety For A Community Recovering From Addiction, Neena Marcus, Paige Kessler, Alexa Nehren, Anna Matushevskiy, Tianna Thompson, Veniamin Drozhzhyn

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

An Individualized Approach to Medication Adherence and Safety for a Community Recovering from Addiction

Adherence to prescribed medications is essential for the effective treatment and prevention of medical conditions. A study conducted in British Columbia, Canada, estimated that 50% of patients worldwide do not take their medications as prescribed (Zeitouny et al., 2023). Further, having substance use disorder can increase this risk (Mehdinia et al., 2020). Research with patients who are affected by polypharmacy found that pillboxes can support medication adherence (FarzanehRad et al., 2024). With these statistics in mind, our nursing student team developed a leadership project around pillbox …

Optimizing Healthcare Utilization: Distinguishing Between Emergency And Urgent Care, Madilyn Calkins, Molly Dupar, Wintana Gherie, Marcin Janczak, Angela Lee, Lena Zhang

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Optimizing Healthcare Utilization: Distinguishing Between Emergency and Urgent Care

Over the past two months, our group of six nursing students worked with a local transitional housing program for families. Per the facility report, a large portion of the program’s current residents are immigrants and have had little to no exposure to the American healthcare system and their options for care. The issue we targeted for our project is the increased number of 911 calls and emergency room (ER) visits for non-emergent healthcare concerns by our target population. By creating education materials on self-triaging, ER vs. Urgent Care services, and how …

Tools To Build Undergraduate Nursing Student Volunteer Confidence In Case Of Disaster, Sadie Apuron, Emily F. Calkins, Natashia Forson, Rhean Kang, Corinne Pickart, Ryan Quan

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Building Undergraduate Nursing Student Confidence to Volunteer in Case of Disaster

This paper provides a brief overview of one project in an ongoing collaboration between the nursing department, the Office of Safety and Security, and Health Services at a private university in the Pacific Northwest. The partnership aims to improve disaster response capacity on campus by preparing nursing students to volunteer in medical triage. It builds on a previous project that created a protocol for volunteers and outlined education recommendations (Sebastian et al., 2025). The goal of this project was to create reusable training resources to increase nursing student knowledge …

Improving Self-Reported Hydration Using Refillable Bottles And Clean Water Access, Erica Short, Adam Dill, Ali Bradley, Kaito Gao, Jennifer Hanks, Hayat Muhammad, Mai Ngo

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

In Washington State, around 18.5% of individuals aged 12 and older, about 1.4 million people, struggle with substance use each year (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2023). Many also face housing instability and limited access to basic health needs like clean drinking water. Our agency supports Seattle residents in recovery, and during our initial assessment, we identified inadequate hydration as a common concern. As a team of seven nursing students, we developed a community health project to improve self-reported hydration among this population. This paper outlines our process from assessment to intervention and our efforts to support healthier …

Enhancing Health Literacy In Adolescents At A Homeless Shelter, Raymond Don N. Razon, Lauren Snedeker, Janice Ou, Chau V. Nguyen, Makenna Johnston, Ruweyda Salim, Garett W. Walters

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Enhancing Health Literacy in Adolescents at a Homeless Shelter

Over the past two months, our group of seven Seattle Pacific Nursing Students collaborated with a local nonprofit homeless shelter for families. After meeting with the agency’s health services coordinator, we decided to focus on the teen population and enhance their health literacy. This choice was due to our population primarily not being exposed to the American healthcare system. Our team gathered information from the teens and found that nutrition, sleep, and mental health were of particular interest. Based on this, we planned and implemented a health literacy intervention tailored to …

Hazing Prevention Education, Elianna Mielbrecht, Sky Agpawa, Ceirra Dean, Joseph Arinaza, Moses Hart, Lily Speakman, Hana Maow

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Hazing Prevention Education

Hazing in higher education is often hidden behind a culture of secrecy, tradition, or team-building. It includes any unwanted physical, emotional, or psychological activities that a person undergoes before joining a group that has clear lasting impacts on the person’s health, regardless of willingness to participate (H.R.5646 - Stop Campus Hazing Act, 2024; Boyer, A., n.d.). Seven nursing students partnered with a university’s campus security office in Seattle, Washington. This department is responsible for maintaining a safe and respectful campus environment, making it a key stakeholder in hazing prevention efforts.

Guided by the Stop Campus Hazing Act …

Reducing Stress Through Music And Meditation: A Low-Barrier Mental Health Intervention For Unhoused Women In Shelter Settings, Joan Katumo, Fiona Johnson, Jenny Tanner, Jamilah Salazar, Malica Richards, Hanna Sheikh, My Nguyen

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Reducing Stress Through Music and Meditation: A Low-Barrier Mental Health Intervention for Unhoused Women in Shelter Settings

Seven nursing students from Seattle Pacific University partnered with a women’s day center in downtown Seattle to support unhoused women experiencing chronic stress and systemic inequalities. The center serves as a safe and welcoming space where women can access essential services including hot meals, hygiene facilities, healthcare connections, and case management, all while fostering a sense of dignity, community, and personal agency. Many clients faced significant trauma and housing insecurity, which contributed to ongoing stress and health challenges, conditions often compounded by social …

Disaster Management And Triage, Nicole Sebastian, Johanna Brown, Liubov Hamadou, Lisa Kuang, Josiah Padilla, Matthew Romero, Kailey Trummert

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Clarifying the Disaster Triage Plan for Volunteer Nursing Faculty and Students at a Private University Campus

This project provides a brief overview of the collaboration between campus security, the campus health clinic, and the nursing department at a private university in a disaster requiring medical triage. The partnership between campus security and senior nursing students aims to amplify the original plans of the current disaster preparedness and clarify volunteer roles for nursing students and faculty. Both agencies have emphasized the importance of disaster preparedness and the support role the nursing department can play in these plans. The main goal of …

Partnering With A Family Shelter To Increase Access To Mychart, Elizabeth S. Stehle, Brenna Becerra, Zahra Diallo, Kristin Grassell, Cassandra Rodriguez-Cruz, Elaine Ahn, Lola Duropan

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Partnering with a Family Shelter to Increase Access to MyChart

Over the past two months, our group of seven nursing students has collaborated with a local nonprofit homeless shelter for women and families. Many of the guests served by this organization are refugees or asylum seekers who have little to no exposure to the American healthcare system. Whether this is due to a low level of health literacy or lack of education surrounding access to health care, we identified a need in this population to increase the number of guests who can easily access their healthcare information. This need led …

Implementation Of Staff Education On Suicide Prevention, Julianne Ji, Hannah Cryder, Trista Joy, Isabel Pfingston, Jaylen Wilson, Kelsey Crosby, Ashlyn Mulcahey

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Implementation of Staff Education on Suicide Prevention

Kelsey Crosby, Hannah Cryder, Julianne Ji, Trista Joy, Ashlyn Mulcahey, Isabel Pfingston, and Jaylen Wilson

School of Health Sciences, Seattle Pacific University

NUR4153: Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement

Dr. Bomin Shim

February 26, 2025

Implementation of Staff Education on Suicide Prevention

Our group, consisting of seven nursing students, partnered with an agency dedicated to supporting individuals in recovery from addictions of all forms, including substance use, gambling, and alcohol dependence. The agency focuses on helping them reach their full potential, minimize relapse, and maintain recovery. Elements of the agency’s work include providing two …

Mindfulness In Homeless Women Experiencing Anxiety, Ally Bennion, Amanda Ho, Elina Le, Elizabeth Tsamous, Jaeda Yamasaki, Madi Ourada, Sara Nemera

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Mindfulness in Homeless Women Experiencing Anxiety

Half of Washington's homeless population resides in Seattle, King County (Axios, 2024). In response, seven Seattle Pacific University nursing students conducted an assessment on homeless women in Seattle. Partnering with a women’s day center, we assessed their health needs and barriers as part of a nursing leadership project. Through activities like bingo, we aimed to build trust and surveyed the women and staff on health concerns. Our findings revealed chronic anxiety as a key issue, leading to underutilization of health resources. Such resources include a mobile emergent dental van that previous nursing students earned …

Consent, Healthy Relationships, And Sexual Misconduct Education, Bergen Babich, Dinorah Blanco Reyes, Samantha Campbell, Balkhita Mweru, Spencer Roth, Alyanna Velasco

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Introduction

Our team of nursing students collaborated with a university's security office and health services to educate the campus community on sexual assault and gender-based violence. According to the University’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, there was a 550% increase in rape cases from 2022 to 2023 (personal communication, 2024). This increase in rape cases indicated a need for increased education and awareness of sexual assault and gender-based violence. Our educational sessions aimed to provide the campus community with education and resources on sexual misconduct and consent to promote healthier relationships on campus.

Background

The population that we served …

Increasing Health Literacy Within The Unhoused Population, Alyse Mk Abraham, Zoe J. Foucaultt, Sean P. Sieber, Simran Gill, Andrew Kang, Fatou Goudiaby

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Nursing Leadership Executive Summary

The unhoused population in Washington State increased by 12% from January 2022 to January 2023, underscoring a growing regional crisis (Washington State Department of Commerce, 2024). To serve this population, we partnered with an agency in Western Washington. In collaboration with the agency’s health services administrative director, we developed a multilingual handout on healthcare and insurance options to improve health literacy.

Our project involved a windshield survey, demographic analysis, evidence-based research, and collaboration with translators to ensure accessibility. This paper outlines the project’s development, research process, creation of the handout, and its intended impact.

Background

A …

Stress Management Through Educational Coping Techniques, Margaret Nikitchuk, Maddy Politeo, Sarah Hall, Ben Pham, David Kumar, Kiana George

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Executive Summary

According to the United States Census Bureau, Seattle reported the highest amount of people with stress in the United States with 54.5% (reported by adults) saying they felt ‘nervous, anxious or on edge’ for at least several days during the past two weeks” (Swedish, 2024). Many residents in Seattle cope with stress in unhealthy ways. For instance, in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue MSA, 19% of individuals aged 12 or older used illicit drugs, compared to the national rate of 14.7% (SAMHSA, 2012). Additionally, 22.5% of this population engaged in binge alcohol use at least once in the past month (SAMHSA, 2012). …

Take Charge Of Your Health: Start With Your Smile, Jordan L. Lacey, Brizette O. Owusu, Sophia Gardner, Madeline Whitehead, Haeun Park, May Ligno

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Take Charge of Your Health: Start with Your Smile

Oral health is a fundamental component of overall health, yet it is often neglected-particularly among vulnerable populations like houseless individuals (Freitas et al., 2019). Houseless individuals face numerous barriers to accessing healthcare, with dental services being limited. This lack of access contributes to a higher prevalence of oral diseases, which if left untreated, can lead to severe complications. Poor oral health doesn’t just affect the mouth; it negatively impacts one’s overall systemic health, psychosocial well-being, and quality of life (Csikar et al., 2019).

As nursing students engaged in a Community Health …

Triaging Your Health Concerns, James Bato Borja, Jasleen Mendoza, Addie Mccuistion, Jordan Artz, Julia Greeley, Ashley Diloreto

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Improving Health Literacy on Appropriate Use of Medical Services

As part of a nursing leadership project, a team of nursing students at Seattle Pacific University (SPU) collaborated with a Washington State affordable independent living facility for seniors; they focused on providing information on the appropriate use of emergency care, urgent care, and primary care services for various health concerns. This project began with a team member recognizing a pattern within the older adult population entering the Emergency Department (ED). This observation showed that a noticeable portion of the older adult population could benefit from clarification about when to seek out …

Coming Alongside Women Experiencing Homelessness, Alexis Dang, Brianna Cowan, Tashayla Braxton, Ellen Jacobs, Elizabeth Cortes, Erin Smith

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Coming Alongside Women Experiencing Homelessness

Executive Summary

Six nursing students attending Seattle Pacific University (SPU), partnered with a women’s day center to provide and support healthcare needs for a leadership project. During the first few weeks of being at the shelter, we visited the agency site to get a better understanding of the population and have a greater idea of what the focus problems should be. Our assessments consisted of a windshield survey, in-person observations, and conversations with the shelter director, staff, and women to identify barriers within their healthcare services. We further gathered assessment information from our instructor, who …

Modifying Aha Stress Management And Physical Activity Modules For Senior Communities, Madai Molina Apolinar, Kristina Luu, Sarah Allen, Samantha Isabel Pio Argueta, Annalise P. Sanders, Emil Visaya

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Modifying AHA Stress Management and Physical Activity Modules for Senior Communities

This quarter our group was given the opportunity to partner with two organizations to conduct work surrounding blood pressure and heart health education. One of our partners was a senior living organization whose mission is to transform beliefs about affordable housing through supporting communities where seniors and families can thrive. We also collaborated with the American Heart Association (AHA), which seeks to combat cardiovascular disease and stroke for the improvement and overall health of the population.

For this project, we were tasked with simplifying the AHA “Check. Change. Control.” …

Healthy Coping Mechanisms Within The Recovery Setting, Ingrid Erickson, Izzi Hill, Ylliam Umipig, Hallie Hicks, Hanin Ghazal, Hannah Haynes

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Healthy Coping Mechanisms Within the Recovery Setting

Introduction

Nineteen percent of the Seattle-Tacoma Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) population ages 12 and older are using illicit drugs (Brief, 2012). And twenty-two percent have an excessive alcohol use disorder (Brief, 2012). Six Seattle Pacific University nursing students (the team) were assigned a leadership project at a recovery center in downtown Seattle. The recovery center is a non-profit organization that aims to provide hope, healing, and community to those within the recovery community. Members have experienced anything from homelessness to addiction, trauma, and mental health struggles and the center provides a way to …

Developing A Caregiver Educational Tool For Children With Behavior Issues, Grace Healy, Elise Arkills, Joshua Anderson, Emma Vetter, David Njeri, Avery Strieby

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Developing a Caregiver Educational Tool for Children with Behavior Issues

The team was tasked to create a health-based solution for problems facing a non-profit agency. The agency is a branch of an organization in King County, where providing critical familial needs, strengthening familial bonds, and preventing homelessness are the primary aims. Last year, the agency was able to assist 669 families, and the numbers are continuing to grow as more resources become available.

The team included six Seattle Pacific University nursing students, who are enrolled in a Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement course. After collaborative meetings with the managers at …

A Video Based Training Review, Sarah Kessel, Rachel Cyers, Alicia Johnson, Macky Juan, Malia Lafrance, Julia Zajac

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

A Video Based Training Review

This project addresses the issue of homeless youth in Seattle by supporting those working with this population. Our intervention intends to provide staff with training materials to better support the homeless youth in Seattle. The agency that we are partnering with provides temporary housing for homeless youth and seeks to find permanent housing solutions. The purpose of our project is to help agency employees review and assess their knowledge on selected topics relevant to their initial training. This project compiles a collection of evidence-based training videos with knowledge competency quizzes to help strengthen understanding on …

Youth Shelter Bed Bugs & Lice Education, Madeline Mary Rettenmier, Elvina S. Kuzubov, Quoc H. Phan, Megan Myra Joseph, Allie Mechtel

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Youth Shelter Bed Bugs & Lice Education
Allie Mechtel, Maddy Rettenmier, Elvina Kuzubov, Megan Joseph, Kevin Phan
School of Health Sciences, Seattle Pacific University
NUR 4153: Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement
Leah Ngoche DNP, MPH, ARNP-BC
8 November 2023

Youth Shelter Bed Bugs & Lice Education

Introduction

Seattle Pacific University Nursing students were assigned a fifth quarter leadership project in the greater Seattle area. Our group was assigned to a youth shelter located in Belltown, Seattle Washington. It is a thirty-bed, animal friendly shelter for young individuals looking for a safe place to stay. They offer long-term housing for those …

Coping Strategies To Promote Mental Wellness, Luma Aziz, Domonique Jackson, Jessica Herzog, Molly Mcdonough, Ashley Kim, Arianne Faye Villaflor

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Coping Strategies to Promote Mental Wellness

Over eight weeks, our nursing school leadership team collaborated with a Seattle non- profit agency whose mission is to provide resources, planning, and housing to families with children experiencing homelessness. Our team’s overarching goal by the end of this project, based on the needs expressed by the agency, was to create a tool that provides resources and coping skills to families experiencing homelessness to improve mental health and promote wellness.

Background

The population that is served by the agency includes families with at least one child under the age of eighteen, children with medical …