Purpose

The overall purpose of this project is to strengthen the capacity to prepare entry-level nurses through service learning partnerships. To achieve this purpose, the Susannah Maria Gurule (SMG) Foundation, in partnership with the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Nursing (SON) and Providence Health Care Systems received a two-year grant from the Northwest Health Foundation (NWHF) to expand the ongoing activities of the Latino Access Project by providing community-based practicum experience to baccaluarate nursing students while promoting the health and wellness of Latino families in Oregon. Specifically, the project partners will: 1) develop, implement and evaluate an innovative nursing student-community health worker (promotora) Birth Companion Demonstration Program; 2) improve access to prenatal care and resources to reduce health disparities for pregnant Latina women and their families; 3) integrate and use promotoras as full members of the interdisciplinary health care teams (e.g. bridging the informal with formal health systems)

This program is in response to the Northwest Health Foundation initiative to strengthen the capacity to prepare entry-level nurses and increase the opportunities for clinical practicum of nursing students outside the hospital setting. Further, the program is guided by recommendations of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report: Unequal Treatment: Confronting Ethical and Racial Disparities in Health Care to reduce and eventually eliminate health disparities. Specifically, the IOM recommends: 1) the integration and use of community health workers as connectors and educators to both community members and health care professionals. We believe the integration of promotoras as full members of the health care team will improve the project partners efforts to increase the diversity within the nursing profession by developing a career ladder for promotoras that includes a Bachlors of Science (BS) in Nursing and; 2) integrate cross-cultural education into didactic and clinical training of current and future health professionals.

The Northwest Health Foundation provides the funds to support the work of this project

Project contact information: Please feel free to contact us with any questions about this community partnered service-learning project

Marie Dahlstrom, MA Susannah Maria Gurule (SMG) Foundation, 503-233-0721 or mdahlstrom@smg-foundation.org.

Nancy Glass, PhD, MPH, RN, Co-Director, Center for Health Disparities Research, 503-494-6740 or glassn@ohsu.edu.