Public Health and Community Nursing Commons^™

The Experience Of Homelessness Among Older Adults In Bhutan - A Narrative Inquiry Study, Phuntsho Om

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A shift in the demographics of homelessness started to occur in the 1900s, with a significant increase in the number of middle-aged or elderly men and women being recognised as a part of the homeless population. The rising urgent global concern of homelessness of older adults necessitates a deeper understanding of the lived experience and holistic well-being of these marginalised adults. This thesis aimed to explore the phenomenon of homelessness of older adults in Bhutan, which is an often neglected topic in both national and international gerontological research.

Employing narrative inquiry within the constructivist approach as articulated by Pino Gravidia …

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 …

Drivers Of Being Unhoused And The Prevalence Of Health Conditions Among Unhoused Individuals In Asheville, Nc, Andrea K. Yontz, Amber Beane, Tessa Frank, Amy Upham, Dustin V. Patil, Dan Pizzo, Steve Buie, Jacqueline R. Halladay

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in the number of unhoused individuals in Asheville, North Carolina resulting in more tent encampments.

Understanding the physical, mental, and socially determined health characteristics associated with being unhoused can help guide stakeholders with policy development, healthcare program planning, and funding decisions to support unhoused individuals.

Methods

In this study, we used an observational cross-section methodology. Using a convenience sample approach, we interviewed 101 participants who were receiving services from 2 emergency hotel shelters, a day center, and a resource center. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and open-ended responses were collected …

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 …

Point Of Care Testing: Best Practice Toolkit For Improving Access To Point Of Care Testing In Mobile Medicine, Michaela Gist

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Healthcare for persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) is a complex issue. Chronic and communicable diseases are disproportionately represented within this population. Healthcare spending is 2.5 times more costly in comparison to those who have not experienced homelessness. Although mobile health clinics aim to reduce the concerns with access to care, they do not eliminate barriers if the appropriate tests are not immediately available.

PICO: In the homeless population treated in mobile medicine (P), what is the effect of point of care testing (I) on turnaround time (O) compared with outside laboratory testing (C)?

Evidence: Critical analysis of the literature …

Women’S Shelter Health Needs Assessment, Asmait Woldu, Kelly Dona, Anna Frediani, Andrea Herrejon-Duran

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Women’s Shelter Health Needs Assessment

Introduction

Homelessness is currently one of the biggest societal issues in the United States and evidence indicates it is increasing, particularly for women (McGeough et al., 2020). A group of nursing students from Seattle Pacific University teamed up with a women’s homeless shelter in a Metropolitan city. The agency provides shelter and warm meals as well as laundry, toiletries, bus tickets and more. But even with the resources that they do provide, the residents have other needs that are not fully met, particularly with regard to their health. This is due in large to a …

Developmental Boxes, Karina Ryabinina, Lauren Kelly, Marissa Bankey, Kaila Medeiros, Sammy Schultz

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Developmental Boxes

The assigned facility is a resource center that operates to assist families in need. Services offered include housing placement, homelessness prevention, securement of affordable childcare, after-school programs, and health education. The center has served the Mount Baker community for nearly three years and intends to continue partnering with public services to end the cycle of poverty and create brighter futures for those who need it most (Mercy Housing, 2021).

Our team conducted a windshield survey of the community served by the facility and determined there to be limited access to childcare in the area as well as minimal …

The Clinical Healthcare Provided To Homeless Communities Across The United States: A Literature Review, Saylor Sisemore

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Homelessness has become a global public health concern as it results in poorer physical and mental health than age-matched people living in permanent housing (Ortiz & Roser, 2017). The area that comprises Northwest Arkansas (NWA), like other areas of the United States experiencing rapid growth, has seen a marked increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in recent years. The homeless population is one of the most vulnerable and underserved groups of individuals in NWA and beyond. Public health nursing as a discipline is dedicated to providing compassionate care and exceptional service for all members of communities, with special …

Self-Healing With Reiki For Homeless Individuals Suffering From Past Traumatic Events, Kathryn Piha

Theses and Graduate Projects

Living with symptoms that resemble PTSD from past trauma can be detrimental to health, healing, and quality of life. Symptoms that resemble PTSD are intrusive and disruptive to daily life and can cause anxiety, vivid flashbacks and nightmares, and intense memories. Homeless individuals navigate challenges and are at increased risk for developing symptoms that resemble PTSD. This project explored Reiki as a healing modality to improve health, healing, and quality of life from the negative implications of past traumatic experiences. Guided by Martha Roher's SUHB Theory, this project connects Reiki with energy as healing. Understanding energy and energy fields can …

Integration Of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (Sane’S) Care Program, Erin B. Mehta

Theses and Graduate Projects

Sexual assault is a public health issue, especially for individuals experiencing homelessness, violence, and victimization. Barriers to post-sexual assault health care must be addressed to ensure individuals experiencing homelessness receive effective and adequate care. Traditionally found in Emergency Departments, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) offer patient-centered, comprehensive health care to sexual assault survivors. To reduce barriers for individuals experiencing homelessness, SANEs must be accessible where health care services are utilized. Guided by Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring and trauma-informed principles, this project aims to embed a SANE program into a homeless-specific Midwest Health Care Center. The SANE program will …

Screening For Human Trafficking: Best Practice Guidelines And Recommendations For Health Care Providers, Bernadette Portillo

Student Scholarly Projects

Human trafficking (HT) is a federal and international crime and is regarded as one of the most pressing human rights issues. Adult and minor victims are trafficked by force (rape, beatings, confinement), fraud, and coercion resulting in profound physical and psychological injuries (Chisolm-Straker et al., 2019, p. 72; Department of Homeland Security, 2020; Vera Institute of Justice, 2014, p. 6). Most clinicians fail to recognize HT victims (Egyud et al., 2017; Leslie, 2018; Mason, 2018; McDow & Dols, 2020; Mostajabian et al., 2019; Patient Safety Monitor Journal, 2017; Stevens & Dinkle, 2020). This policy brief’s purpose is to provide health …

Dance Program To Encourage Movement, Sarah Termure, Morgan Timmons, Lydianne Botelho, Lorraine Zhou, Isatou Manneh

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Dance Program to Encourage Movement

Homelessness is a growing concern across the United States of America. One agency in the Belltown district located in Seattle, Washington, is a place where homeless women can go to access and obtain needed resources (see Appendix A). A group of Seattle Pacific University (SPU) Nursing Students used primary and secondary prevention methods by creating a movement program that was aimed at the women at the agency. The goal of the project was for the women at the agency to participate in the dance program, to help decrease the chances of developing problems (i.e. diseases …

Is Street Medicine Effective In Improving Access To Healthcare?, Kaitlyn Meehan

Student Research Poster Presentations 2021

No abstract provided.

A Proposal To Implement Assertive Community Treatment Into A Primary Care Shelter Clinic, Julie Churcher-Fields

Theses and Graduate Projects

Individuals who are experiencing homelessness and severe mental illness have a difficult time accessing healthcare systems. Without mental health treatment and stable housing, individuals develop multiple needs that must be addressed during an individual visit. Without treatment for mental health symptoms, individuals may experience a negative impact on their quality of life and the ability to get basic needs met. Community organizations have an obligation to provide integrated care with a goal to improve overall health for this population. As nurse leaders there is an opportunity to be advocates and implement innovative ideas to improve care. In a large adult …

Emergency Department Homeless And At Risk Homeless Screening Benchmark Study, Emily Mulder

MSN Capstone Projects

Individuals experiencing homelessness drastically overutilize emergency department (ED) services compared to non-homeless individuals (Ku et al., 2014). Many unhoused individuals have serious medical and psychosocial needs, which are chronic in nature, and become exacerbated due to poor management while living on the streets (Ku et al., 2014). The health needs of such individuals would be best managed through primary care continuity. However, care coordination becomes complex when a patient does not have a physical address or knowledge of available community resources (Mitchell, León, Byrne, Lin, & Bharel, 2017). By understanding the unique barriers that homeless and at risk homeless patients …

Street Medicine And Its Implications, Dylon Hess

Student Research Poster Presentations 2020

No abstract provided.

Improving The Rate Of Hand Hygiene Immediately Before And After Wound Care In The Street Nurse Microsystem, Amanda Ramos Sandoval

Master's Projects and Capstones

The street nurse team of Sacramento, CA provides many services to patients who are experiencing homelessness, including a substantial amount of wound care. While the street nurses were performing hand hygiene (HH) prior to and after wound care, they would often not be performing it immediately prior and post-wound care. Because the nurses hike to their patients (who are living on the streets or in out of the way camps) the street nurses would often perform hand hygiene while at their cars prior to going to the patient and again when they returned to their cars after performing wound care. …

Exploring The Homeless Persons Perception Of Living In A Long-Term Care Facility, Janice Woods

Dissertations

Objective:The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of homeless persons admitted to a nursing home facility. Originally, the study was to explore their understanding of and their experience with advance health care planning; coincidently, the participants were more open to their experience of living in a long-term care facility.

Method:A convenience sample of 13 participants (12 male, 1 female) at four long-term care facilities in Southern California were interviewed about their perception of advanced health care planning, including the physician’s orders for life sustaining treatment (POLST); a consent form required in all nursing homes. …

Open Space, Thin Blankets, And Snores: An Examination Of Sleep In Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness, Claire Olivia Moore

Honors Projects

Sleep has been identified as a public health concern, especially among college students and young adults, which are defined here as adults ages 18-25 years old. Individuals who are homeless also face specific challenges to getting high quality, restful sleep. The purpose of this review is to investigate the potential health burden of impaired sleep quality in young adults experiencing homelessness. The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Ebscohost, Medline, Google Scholar, and PsychInfo databases were searched using the following terms independently and in combination: sleep, sleep quality, young adults, college students, emerging adults, sleep hygiene, homeless, …

A Journey Through Homelessness: A Photovoice Project With Youth Experiencing Homelessness In Minnesota, Bonnie D. Paulsen

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to conduct a photovoice project with youth experiencing homelessness who frequent a drop-in center in the Midwest. Youth experiencing homelessness are a marginalized population whose numbers continue to grow. Photovoice is a method by which marginalized populations have an opportunity to express their lived experiences through photographs and what those photographs mean to them. Four youth from the drop-in center in the Midwest participated in the photovoice project. The youths were given cameras and instructions to take photographs of three broad areas: what homelessness means to them, their dreams for their futures and how …

Mammography Utilization In African American Women, April D. Kidd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Breast cancer presents differently among women causing breast cancer health disparities with women of color disproportionally shouldering later-stage screening, incidence, and treatment, and greater mortality. This study assessed 10 predictors and rates of recent and long-term mammography utilization for women 43-79 years of age to better understand differences among age strata and races. This was the first study to use both the calculated Gail Risk scores (calculates absolute breast cancer risk over time intervals) from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and a temporary homelessness variable in predicting mammography utilization using national-level data.

Theoretical Framework: A modified Behavioral …

Feeding The Homeless Through Collaboration: A Proposal For Consideration, Valetta M. Johnson Massaquoi

Theses and Graduate Projects

The homeless are faced with many challenges of adverse nutritional deficiencies that predispose them to several illnesses commonly associated with the lack of adequate nutrition and the frequent utilizations of health care resources. Provision of nutritious food for the homeless can help decrease the prevalence of these identifiable markers and can be accomplished by u collaborative effort. The purpose of this project is to describe a collaboration between Regions Hospital and the Dorothy Day Center to provide supplemental nutrition for the homeless. Leininger's culture care diversity and universality theory along with culture care accommodation/negotiation are used as a theoretical framework …