Fairfield Nursing - Vol. 05 - Fall 1994

              FairfieldN ursing
FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING, FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT 064 30
Fall 1994
Volume V
Health Promotion Center Opens
DO "TED 8'1::
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Nursing students next to the van in front of the Health Promotion Center: (left to right)
Karen Anderson, Christianne Ahern , and Mary Ellen Giles with Larry McGaughy ,
vice president of marketing and engineering at Southern Connecticut Gas Company .
The Fairfield University School ofN urs­ing
Health Promotion Center(HPC) opened
itsdoorsonJune 15,1994. Located in inner
city Bridgeport, it has already made pos­sible
the provision of health promotion
services to over 650 clients. The center
serves as a clinical site for nursing students
enrolled in the community health and health
maintenance courses, and will be used as a
clinical site for graduate nursing students
as well.
The HPC has opened doors to more than
the health education of often underserved
populations. It has also made it possible for
students and faculty of the School of Nurs­ing
to demonstrate the community health
nursing skills that have become increas­ingly
important in light of current efforts
toward health care reform.
The HPC is unique in that it is not a
medical clinic. It is a nursing care center
geared toward helping well people remain
healthy. Courses, seminars, screening
events, and one-on-one sessions are offered,
and the focus and topics for these programs
are almost limitless. The HPC has the
potential of offering as many activities as
there are students and faculty of the School
ofNursing, since all will be involved in the
HPC in some capacity.
The HPC has divided its activities into
two categories. The Nancy F. Fasano
Educational Program honors the former
Dean of the Fairfield University School of
Nursing, who was responsible for the de­velopment
of rhe HPC. Activities in this
program include: childbirth education and
parenting courses, stress management and
drug abuse seminars, and classes in smok­ing
cessation, blood pressure management,
and nutrition.
The James W. Gibson Health Care
Outreach Program is sponsored through a
grant by the Southern Connecticut Gas
Company in honor of their past Chief Op­erating
Officer. These activities involve
participation in health fairs and commu­nity
screening, as well as counseling and
referral for health concerns, including hy­pertension,
diabetes, and high blood cho­lesterol
levels. Certification courses for
blood pressure and cholesterol screeners are
offered, and a speakers bureau has been
established.
Two grants were instrumental to the
establishment of this Center: a federal
grant through the Corporation for National
and Community Service, and a gift from the
Southern Con­necticutGasCom­pany.
A van,
which can be out­fitted
as a mobile
clinic, has also
been donated by
the Southern Con­necticut
Gas Com­pany.
It is cur­rently
being used
for outreach activi- FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY
ties. SCHOOL of NURSING