The National University Nurse-Managed Clinic opens two new sites at Salvation Army locations in Compton and Inglewood; the sites offer telehealth technologies and community-based approaches to addressing health needs in underserved communities
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. – National University, a private, nonprofit university based in California, and The Salvation Army sites in Compton and Inglewood are pleased to announce a partnership that will allow the University to expand its Nurse-Managed Clinic services to clients at these community centers to get the care they need through in-person and innovative telehealth services.
The region-wide project was launched last year by National University through a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA*) to the University’s School of Health and Human Services. The project started in Watts through a partnership with the Tree of Life Missionary Baptist Church. National University has been leading the project in collaboration with UCLA and local faith-based and community-based organizations. Today’s announced partnership with the Salvation Army allows the clinic project to expand its reach to the two new locations.
“We are pleased to be partnering with the Salvation Army as part of the National University mission of giving back to our communities,” said Dr. David Andrews, President of National University. “This project is a wonderful chance for our faculty and students to contribute to a community health project while putting into practice technological advancements that are reshaping our health system.”
Among the first of its kind, the National University Nurse-Managed Clinic now offers services at a total of five regional community sites. Clinic administrators are based out of National University’s Los Angeles campus, and sites are connected through advanced telehealth technologies provided by Health Net Connect and iAssay.
“This is a great opportunity for us to expand our services to the poor and marginalized in our community through this partnership with National University and its innovative Nurse-Managed Clinic,” said The Salvation Army Inglewood Corps Officer Envoy Roy Snapp-Kolas.
At each of the easily accessible community sites, such as the ones being opened in partnership with the Salvation Army, the National University Nurse-Managed Clinic offers staffed and multi-purpose space such as private patient exam rooms, medical equipment and video capabilities that connect with the Clinic’s healthcare team.
Offering a “virtual” approach to healthcare, the Clinic project in partnership with Health Net Connect and iAssay incorporates innovative telecommunication technologies used to remotely monitor heart rate, respiratory status, blood pressure and body temperature, and an electronic health record system that facilitates communication of patient data among all members of the team. Through this “health clinic without walls” approach, an inter-professional team of healthcare providers perform comprehensive physical examinations; implement disease management programs for diabetes, asthma, heart disease and high blood-pressure; conduct vision and hearing testing; make referrals for OB/GYN care; and monitor body weight. Home visits may also be arranged, as needed.
“Through the National University Nurse-Managed Clinic, we want to help remove barriers that prevent people from seeking proper healthcare,” said Dr. Gloria McNeal, Dean of National University’s School of Health and Human Services. “Through this partnership with the Salvation Army, we are excited to be expanding access to quality healthcare to the communities of Compton and Inglewood.”
Through the Clinic project, advanced practice nurses (APNs) affiliated with National University work with an interdisciplinary team of health professionals that includes a UCLA professor of medicine, public health and social workers, clinical laboratory scientists, data analysts and other support staff, who collaborate in the delivery of patient-centered care. Students from National University who are studying nursing and other healthcare specialties, such as health informatics, also can gain valuable clinical experience in these new models of healthcare through collaborations with trained professionals.
The granting agency HRSA is the primary federal agency for improving access to healthcare services for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable. Among the other organizations involved in the region-wide project – which includes clinic sites in the community of Watts, and now Compton and Inglewood – are The Black Community Health Task Force, The New You Center, Canon Human Services, Tri-City Medical Group, Healthy African American Families, Tree of Life Missionary Baptist Church, and the Salvation Army.
About National University
Founded in 1971, National University is the second-largest private, nonprofit institution of higher education in California. With more than 240,000 alumni, National University is the flagship institution of the National University System. National University is dedicated to making lifelong learning opportunities accessible, challenging, and relevant to a diverse population of students. Four schools and two colleges – the Sanford College of Education; the College of Letters and Sciences; the School of Business and Management; the School of Engineering and Computing; the School of Health and Human Services; and the School of Professional Studies – offer more than 100 graduate and undergraduate degrees and 23 teacher credentials. Programs are offered at locations throughout California and across the nation, and are also available online. National University is headquartered in La Jolla, California. To learn more, visit www.nu.edu.
About the School of Health and Human Services at National University
The School of Health and Human Services consists of the departments of Community Health, Health Sciences and Nursing, which offer 17 degree programs and provide a wide range of online and onsite undergraduate and graduate programs.
About the Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1880 in the United States. Today, more than 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and underprivileged children. About 82 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in 7,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmy-socal.org.
* This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UD7HP28533, NEPQR-IPCP for $1,492,759, and is supplemented with 53% of nongovernmental sources, including in-kind support. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.