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Project Details
Created:
11/11/2008
Project Title:
Vitals For Ottawa County
Project Category:
Health
Project Status:
Proposal
CASE Competition
CASE Competition:
Oklahoma Campus Compact - Oklahoma Campus Compact
Grant Winner
Project Snapshot
Problem:
Solution:
Student Information
College or University:
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College
State:
Oklahoma
Student Name:
Sarah Smith
Year in College:
Sophomore
Major:
Nursing
Faculty Advisor
Advisor Name:
Alicia Weatherby
Community Partner
Partner Name:
Mary Garrette
Student and Community
What societal problem does your project solve?
This project aids in the Ottawa County Community Clinic’s ability to better serve the public and to increase the amount of volunteers that assist with the clinic. The community volunteers do not have the medical background and training to take vital signs such as blood pressure and pulse. Untreated high blood pressure can lead to many other medical conditions, which is an issue for 60% of the patients that utilize this clinic. After identifying patients with high blood pressure, physicians will be able to treat it and its’ associated conditions increasing the overall health of the clinics patient population. Modern state-of-the-art equipment would help increase efficiency enabling more patients to be seen.What would be the measurable outcomes of the partnership that you propose to create between the community and your educational institution?
A measurable outcome would be to obtain a blood pressure and pulse vital sign machine for the Ottawa Clinic, increasing the amount of patients seen, and obtaining reliable baseline information for health assessment for more residents of Ottawa County.How would you, with the support of your faculty advisor on campus and some one from the community, work together around this specified community issue?
As a team, we would use this opportunity to its full advantage and buy an up-to-date blood pressure and pulse vital sign machine. This is something the clinic has had a need for, and when working with this clinic, it has become evident any way we can help them is encouraging. This is why students have already spent many hours at the clinic helping out. Other than the working hours we donate, we wish to work toward the goal of providing something like this for them. In researching what these machines cost they can range from $1,586-3,225. We realize that this will require further funding and endeavor to fulfill our goal by applying for further grants or fundraising.How would you envision sharing power and decision making in the partnership? In other words, instead of doing something for the community how would you do something with the community?
This is an accomplishment that’s already in motion. As a school we have students at the clinic aiding in anyway they can to help the clinic run. Our partnership with the clinic has already been established and is progressively helpful to the clinic. We have student nurses providing service-learning experiences during the fall semester. In addition, any time I have available, when not in class or clinical for nursing I try and dedicate to helping this clinic, even though this isn’t a great amount of time they are still very appreciative of any help they can receive.How would you collect data on what the project was doing and use it in the decision making process?
Data collected would include the amount of patients seen in the clinic, and specific vital signs for each patient seen and noting any abnormalities. Data would also be collected about the number of hours by non-medical volunteers, who measured and recorded vital signs. This efficiently prepares the patient for the visit with the physician who is donating their time as well. All measurements would be interpreted and would show the overall success of the project.What would be the project activities? Give examples of how the strengths already existing in the community will be acknowledged, built upon, and enhanced in the partnership to solve the problem.
The strengths include the increasing number of volunteers and the increasing number of patients seen. These people have seen the positive effects of the clinic and want to help in any way they can. We can build with these volunteers by putting them through simple training to use the machine. They will be able to aid in taking vitals, and help to start collecting initial patient information needed. The combined efforts of the volunteers and the students in the clinic would increase public awareness of important health issues.What obstacles or challenges might you encounter in implementing your project, and how would you address them?
Obstacles include the increasing amount of patients needing to be seen, the doctors only have so much time that they can give. Another obstacle we face is raising the money to buy this necessary piece of equipment. People start waiting hours before they can be seen just to ensure that they can see a physician. This obstacle is what we are trying to assist with, people will be seen more quickly decreasing wait time, while improving the efficiency of the care given. This clinic is always trying to increase funding to help expand and improve the clinic in any. That is where this goal came about. Therefore, obstacles are ones we face every time we open the doors to the clinic. As a partnership we are taking the next step to help them try and get the equipment they need.
Recruiting Volunteers:
Would you recruit additional student volunteers? If so, how?
Enlisting Partners:
Do you envision enlisting businesses, or other organizations, etc., to help; if so, how?
How would the award money be used here?
If your project idea is an innovation of an existing
program, what are its current funding sources?
What do you anticipate learning from engaging in the service project?
I am learning so much already. Lessons that are truly important, like the power of treating people rather than just the illnesses, helping prevent health issues before they arise, and to help people understand how they can help themselves. I truly cannot think of a better way to spend my own time. This clinic has taught me about the power of volunteering. When people leave the clinic and cannot give any money, they ask if they can do anything to help the clinic. Volunteering in the clinic, which could include painting walls, lining shelves, or helping in any way, they give something back to the clinic that has already given something to them. I think that’s amazing in every way possible. That’s a lesson I have learned, and continue to learn every day.If the above questions have not enabled you to convey the essence and value of your project’s impact, use this space to supplement your answers.
The Ottawa County Community Clinic has suffered since losing their original facilities to the July 2007 flood of Miami, OK. The community pulled together to get this facility relocated and operational a year later. They have been blessed by so many and yet have basic needs still. By awarding this grant, the Ottawa County Community Clinic could better serve the underprivileged in this area. I don’t think I could ask for a more worthy project, I just want this to be manageable, and achievable. I want to help this clinic in any way, to give them something that volunteering alone can’t provide.Please submit an abstract (clear summary) of your proposed project idea.
My plan is to raise money for the purchase of an up-to-date electronic vital sign machine for the Ottawa County Community Clinic. This project has the purpose to enhance the clinics ability to treat patients, it will aid in the amount of non-medical personnel that can volunteer at the clinic. It will also help with the amount of time it takes to finish the initial work needed for the patient to be seen by the physicians. The clinic is already being aided with many hours worth of work from my nursing school but I also wish to help in any way possible by getting the equipment needed. Any fundraising received would go directly to the purchase of equipment for the clinic, which would then be used every week at the clinic.User Login
