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Parish Nurse Outreach Project
| Topics |
Faith-based
Health promotion and disease prevention
Mental health
Networking and collaboration
Substance abuse
Youth
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| States served |
Oklahoma
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| Description |
The Harper County Parish Nurse Outreach Project was developed to address the limited health care resources available in the community, to assess individual and community needs, and to assist members of the community in accessing local resources. The project also planned to fill service gaps that were not readily available in the community.
Since the church is widely considered the most viable institution in Harper County, area churches were the crux of the project's outreach efforts. The project stressed that physical, mental, and spiritual health were critical to the health of the whole person. A program such as this had never been offered in Harper County. |
| Services offered |
Three organizations participated in the project - the United
Methodist Church of Laverne, Harper County Community Hospital, and the Area Health Education Center's Rural Health Project. The project's principal activities consisted of conducting individual and community health assessments, and providing health education, screenings, and counseling to individuals and groups. The Parish Nurse, hired by the United Methodist Church of Laverne, served as a community health advocate. |
| Results |
The project recorded nearly 7,000 contacts during the 3-year grant. Health education accounted for 53 percent of all contacts, while health screenings accounted for 33 percent of all contacts. Six percent of the contacts consisted of health counseling.
The age distribution of those served was fairly even. While the gender breakdown of those served was relatively similar, the project found that women were more likely to attend a health education program than were males. However, males were more than willing to receive health screenings, blood pressure and blood sugar checks, and flu vaccines. The project served a particularly large percentage of males aged 12 to 19 years, largely because local schools sponsored several programs focusing on smoking prevention, drinking and driving prevention, and date violence prevention. The project also offered an immunization program in schools, which resulted in 1,200 immunizations being given during the first grant year. |
| Replication |
The Harper County Parish Nurse Outreach Project could be
easily adapted to other rural areas. What made this program
successful in Harper County was the team spirit of the consortium members and other community organizations. The ministerial alliance and area schools, churches, businesses, and local government have a history of working together for the welfare of the community. This project worked with all of these organizations during the grant period, and they played an important role in the success of the project. |
| Source |
Outreach Sourcebook, Vol. 8, 1998-2001, Office of Rural Health Policy
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| Contact person |
Rev. Diana Northcutt, Director
Parish Nurse Outreach Project
First United Methodist Church of Laverne
302 West Jayne Jayroe Blvd.
P.O. Box 92
Laverne, OK 73848
Phone: 580-921-3329
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| Date added |
July 14, 2005 |
Summaries of success stories are provided by RAC for your convenience. Please contact the success story contact person directly for the most complete and current information.
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