January 17, 2006
School of Nursing to launch clinic in White County
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University's School of Nursing is opening a family health clinic in northern White County to help meet the needs of a population that is underserved by the health-care system.
An open house for the Family Health Clinic of Monon will take place 5-7 p.m. Friday (Jan. 20) at the clinic, which is located in the former McElroy Insurance Agency building, 420 N. Market St., Monon.
"A recent survey by the United Way of White County determined that increased health care was the No. 1 need in that area," said Julie C. Novak, associate dean of the College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences and head of the School of Nursing. "We already have two successful clinics in operation, so we felt confident we could bring this model into this area and help meet their need for better health care."
A chief focus of the clinic will be to reach the medically underserved population who may not have anywhere else to turn for medical care.
The School of Nursing began the Family Health Clinic of Carroll County in Delphi in 1995, and it serves more than 3,000 clients a year, the majority of whom uninsured or underinsured.
The school also operates the Nursing Center for Family Health, one of the first nurse-managed clinics in the county, established in 1981 and located in the basement of the Johnson Hall of Nursing at Purdue. The clinic serves mainly Purdue faculty, staff, retirees and spouses, as well as residents of the Lafayette area through community visits. About 2,500 patients yearly are seen through this facility.
All three clinics utilize nursing students who practice under the supervision of advanced-practice nursing faculty to provide primary health-care services, wellness screenings, education and chronic disease management for patients. They serve all ages, from infants to seniors, regardless of income.
The Monon clinic is being funded through a $42,000 United Way grant, as well as a portion of a $716,410 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant for rural advanced-practice nursing.
The building itself was provided by the Bozich family, longtime residents of Monon, who are renting it to the School of Nursing. Owners Joy Bozich and Marsha McElroy funded extensive renovations to ready the building for its use as a health clinic.
Cynthia Bozich-Keith is an assistant clinical professor of nursing, and her husband, Douglas, is a continuing lecturer in the Department of Building Construction Management in the College of Technology. He and his students provided the labor for the renovations.
"Although there are adequate health-care facilities in nearby Monticello, for those who live in the northern part of the county and have little money and no transportation, that might as well be a world away," Novak said.
"Many of our patients are the working poor – those who have jobs but don't have insurance – and others who may have catastrophic insurance but nowhere nearby to turn to for routine health care," she said. "Our clinic will meet a need in providing basic health promotion, education and the monitoring of chronic conditions."
The clinic will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays beginning Jan. 24 and will see about 1,000 patients a year. The eventual goal is to be open five days a week.
Elizabeth O'Neil, a family nurse practitioner and a clinical assistant professor of nursing at Purdue, will serve as clinic coordinator. Lynn Davis, also a family nurse practitioner and a visiting assistant professor, and nurse practitioner and associate professor Kit Shafer will be the advanced-practice nurses at the Monon facility.
"This clinic will benefit both the citizens of Monon and School of Nursing," Novak said. "It will provide much-needed care to the community, as well as offer valuable experience to our nursing students and allow our faculty to stay clinically active."
Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu
Sources: Julie C. Novak, (765) 494-6644, novakj@purdue.edu
Elizabeth O'Neil, (765) 496-3684, lizo@nursing.purdue.edu
Lynn Davis, (765) 496-6397, lvdavis@purdue.edu
Cynthia Bozich Keith, (765) 494-4026, bozichke@purdue.edu
Douglas Keith, keithd@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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