Public encouraged to stop by for basic health services
(Seguin) — A team of TLU nursing students are officially on-call.
Thanks to a partnership between Texas Lutheran University’s Nursing Department and two local churches, Guadalupe County residents now have another place to turn to on most Mondays for basic health services and information.
Tracy Donley, TLU’s director of communications and content says TLU nursing students are officially partnering with Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church and Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church to provide free health screenings, health education and assistance with creating a “File of Life” — a packet of medical information available to first responders during an emergency.
Donley says the senior-level nursing students will be providing basic health screenings, including blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate and temperature checks. She says they will also offer education about medications and disease management, as well as information on nutrition, wellness, chronic illness self-care and other health concerns.
“These students aren’t just beginning nursing students. These are advanced nursing students who are finishing up the final year of their Bachelor of Science in nursing degree,” said Donley. “This is a way for them to bring that advanced clinical knowledge that they’ve been getting in the classroom and in their clinicals, into a community setting.”
Donley says the students are completing a 400-level Community Health course – again giving them an opportunity to take what they have learned and helping the community.
“They’re learning about how to take care of patients in doctor’s offices and hospital rooms, but this is a way for them to also translate those same skills out into the community where people need them and also to assess what people need in the community that we live in,” said Donley.
Perhaps one of the most important services being made available through the program is The File of Life document. Donley says the document is for folks of all ages.
“It’s a really valuable packet of documents that a person can have that can be kept in their home,” said Donley. “ ”
At Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, nursing students will be available on the first, second and fourth Mondays of each month. At Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, services will be offered on the first Monday of each month. The hours at both locations will be from 9 a.m. to noon.
Donely says she hopes this becomes essential especially for those residents who may not know where to turn with questions about their health, medications or other basic wellness needs.
Most importantly, she says the program is expected to continue as so long as the service proves useful to residents.
Again, the nurses will be available every first, second and fourth Mondays at Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church located at 416 Dolle Ave. The nurses will also be available every first Monday at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church located at 409 W. Krezdorn St.