Service Learning Blog Entry 1

Review in detail your service learning site?

Where are you serving?
I am continuing my services with the childhood council in Adams County Colorado, Early Childhood Partnerships of Adams County (ECPAC).

What does the agency do?
ECPAC provides a venue for coordinated governance, planning, resource development, leadership, education and shared accountability in order to achieve the outcomes specified in the Early Childhood Colorado Framework in the areas of Early Learning; Family Support and Parent Education; Social, Emotional and Mental Health; and Health. ECPAC directs resources and funding toward helping childhood facilities obtain quality ratings, quality improvement coaching and college-level training in child development. ECPAC is supporting the expansion of the Incredible Years Parenting Series and Family Leadership Training Institute in Adams County to help strengthen and support families. In mental health, ECPAC provides individualized mental health consultation to empower parents and early childhood  professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to support children's development. ECPAC is also committed to promoting strong health practices in early childhood settings, by forming partnerships between medical providers, to ensure the diverse health needs of children and families are met.

Who are the clients and what needs are served?
The clients are mostly underserved, at risk preschool aged children in Adams County. Many of these children are at or below 200% Federal Poverty Level and qualify for free and reduced cost lunches, Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus. ECPAC develops a more coordinated system of services and supports for young children and families through strategic agency partnerships and collaborations. ECPAC improves children's school readiness by increasing quality, availability and affordability of early childhood services and supports. ECPAC trains early childhood professionals and provides advocacy and leadership at the state and local levels so that Adams County is best positioned to receive and utilize available public and private funding opportunities.

What is the agency funding support?
ECPAC is funded through grants from Mile High United Way.

What roles do DNPs play in promoting health and wellness in underserved populations?
Chism (2010) states "leadership and collaboration are integral aspects of every potential role a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) graduate may assume" (p. 35). The DNP is in the perfect role to promote health in underserved populations by being an advocate, problem solver and role model. The DNP is in a position to collaborate effectively across disciplines to help decrease disparities and to problem solve with agencies. The DNP can educate the underserved populations to promote health and wellness autonomy. The DNP can be a role model in an agency by being the health care professional and offering evidence based information to improve decision making and policy making.

How do you perceive your role in this?
I perceive my role at ECPAC as a leader in health care and as an educator for systems changes in the pediatric underserved population. As many of the leaders involved at ECPAC are teachers, they do not understand how the health care side of their mission works so they are relying on my decisions and advice. I have collaborated with medical, dental and mental health services to discuss the implementation of the referral system in medical terms. I then relay the information back to ECPAC and we make decisions about the system from there. I have also served as an educator for ECPAC by informing them of regulations involved in our project such as HIPPA. I also used evidence based data from my epidemiology study to help ECPAC develop their community assessment for Adams County. I am planning to stay with ECPAC for the long-term and envision my role as being a community educator and collaborator to inform ECPAC about evidence based health data and information and to inform the medical community about the goals of ECPAC. These goals will hopefully promote patient centered care for the underserved pediatric population.

Reference:
Chism, L. (2010). The doctor of nursing practice. A guidebook for role development and professional issues. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.