April 5, 2006
School of Nursing, church collaborate on Center for Infant Health
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University School of Nursing has partnered with Trinity United Methodist Church to develop a new nursing center for infant health opening April 11 in Lafayette.
The Trinity Nursing Center for Infant Health is located at the church's Lilies of the Field House at 509 North St. in downtown Lafayette. The clinic will offer information for parents, health and developmental assessment and minor illness care for children from birth to 12 months.
"With more than 600 nursing students, we are always looking for new learning opportunities while providing a service to the community. This project integrates both objectives; we believe we can make a real difference," said Julie C. Novak, head of the School of Nursing.
"Opening this clinic will give hope and empower parents and families. We are proud to provide this vital service to help strengthen our community."
Novak and others first became aware of the need for such services in January 2005 when the three local nursing schools – Purdue, Ivy Tech and St. Elizabeth – met to discuss state and county data on local health care needs. The group found that one of the most pressing needs was infant care, and the geographic area with the greatest need was the downtown Lafayette/Wabash River corridor.
Novak said the collaboration with Trinity was a natural because Beth Lana, a faculty member at Purdue and Ivy Tech and a member of the planning group, is also a member of the church. Also, the church's senior pastor, Rev. Jacob Williams, was already collaborating with Novak in the School of Nursing's Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Their overlapping mission grew into the idea of a partnership between Trinity and the School of Nursing.
The School of Nursing, with teaching emphasis on newborn and infant assessment, clinical rotations in infant, toddler and preschool programs, as well as extensive experience creating and operating nurse-managed clinics, took the lead among the nursing schools in establishing the clinic. Students from all three nursing schools may participate in the project.
Greater Lafayette Health Services Inc. is donating supplies for the clinic, and James Bien, a pediatrician at Arnett Clinic, has agreed to serve as the collaborating physician for the project.
The School of Nursing also manages family health clinics in Monon and Delphi, as well as the Nursing Center for Family Health located in the basement of the Johnson Hall of Nursing at Purdue.
Among those providing care in the new clinic are Novak and Jennifer Sundell, both certified pediatric nurse practitioners; Courtenay Wells, a certified family nurse practitioner; and Heather Rich, a registered nurse and a pediatric instructor in the School of Nursing.
Novak said another component to the clinic will be helping to prevent the abuse and neglect of children. She said the importance of that issue was driven home during last fall's Tippecanoe County Summit on Child Abuse and Neglect.
"The number of children in our county alone who have been mistreated in some way is staggering," she said. "The best way to prevent abuse and neglect is through the education and empowerment of parents and caretakers, and that is what the clinic will offer. Making sure all of our children are cared for is essential for the well-being of the entire community.
"We know that building developmental assets and resiliency are critical for healthy child development and family functioning."
Novak said earlier this year, the Healthy Families Advisory Board met to discuss a possible linkage between local social service agencies and Baby TALK, a national group that works to positively impact child development and nurture healthy parent-child relationships during the critical early years.
Baby TALK's founder Claudia Quigg will hold a community workshop on Thursday (April 6) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the YWCA, 605 N. Sixth St., Lafayette. Quigg also will provide the keynote address at the Purdue School of Nursing's Helen R. Johnson Leadership Conference on Friday (April 7) from 8 a.m. to noon at the Purdue Memorial Union.
Another event connected with the opening of the clinic is a baby shower from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, April 22 in the Friendship Room of Trinity United Methodist Church, 404 N. Sixth St., Lafayette. The public is invited to the event that will support the center. Purdue students from the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honorary will serve as hosts. Guests are asked to bring an item that infants would need or washable items for the clinic waiting area. More than 100 blankets have already been made and contributed by church members.
A formal dedication for the clinic will take place at the 9 a.m. church service at Trinity on Sunday, April 30, followed by a ribbon cutting, tours and a reception at the Lilies of the Field House. The public is welcome.
Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu
Source: Julie Novak, (765) 494-6644, jnovak@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Related Web site:
Purdue School of Nursing: http://www.nursing.purdue.edu/
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