Youth in Context: Preparing for Lifelong Health and Wellness With Lessons Learned in Opening a High School Based Health Clinic
Section snippets
Purpose
The purpose of this project was to develop an interprofessional school-based, family-centered, nurse-managed clinic to provide access to high quality primary care; and, enhance health outcomes for students and families in Liberty City. Liberty City, once a thriving community, is one of Miami’s poorest and most precarious neighborhoods. The area covers 5.968 sq. miles and is plagued by several major negative social determinants of health – racial segregation, poorer environment, and poverty. By
Methods
After outreach meetings occurred with local community leaders the authors of this grant established partnerships with Jessie Trice Community Health Care, the Children’s Trust, Miami-Dade county schools and the Miami-Dade county Health Department. Theses community partnerships led to the grant submission and subsequent funding to open a nurse managed interprofessional collaborative partner (IPCP) clinic in an area with limited access to primary care for both adolescents and the local community.
Results
The NMHS clinic has provided teens and community members’ access to primary healthcare including behavioral health. the presence of an interprofessional collaborative practice including occupational therapists, physical therapists, language and speech disorders, athletic training and APRNS ( Family and Pediatric) with health services administration embedded with students from has deepened the understanding of all parties about key determinants of health developed outside the clinic including
Conclusions
Currently the implementation of a structure, process and outcomes focused evaluation plan that assesses the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of clinic operations; its team-based collaborative environment; its public health focused interventions, and related health outcomes for students and their families in the Liberty City community is underway. The multiple contexts identified are currently informing the planning of adolescent health care at the clinic and other local clinics