Kennesaw State University nurse practitioners and nursing students have cared for uninsured and underinsured clients at the KSU Community Clinic at MUST Ministries for more than 15 years. Last year, social workers and students from the college’s social work and human services department joined the team, making it possible to serve people in an even more holistic manner.
The value of that addition was illustrated recently when a homeless veteran suffering from a rash came to the Cobb County clinic. The nurses treated his physical condition, but the social workers addressed his larger issues.
“We knew that veterans were entitled to specific benefits, so we put our students on the case. They got him connected with [Veterans Affairs] to get additional services. He thinks we’re the best thing on the planet,” said Vanessa Robinson-Dooley, Ph.D., LCSW, an assistant professor of social work at Kennesaw State.
“The clients who come to the KSU Community Clinic often have more than biological or mental health needs, especially as many have lost jobs in the recession,” Robinson-Dooley said. “They also have social and environmental challenges.
“Nurses can treat the body, but we can help find resources to deal with the needs of food, clothing or shelter. Together, we’re creating a holistic approach to the health of these clients and a model that can be used in other settings.”
Kennesaw State’s social work program began in 2006 and was accredited in 2008. Faculty members began supervising human services and social work student interns at the KSU Community Clinic last year.
“We’ve all been blessed by the collaboration and we are learning from each other. As a result, many of our clients are seeing better outcomes,” said Donna Chambers, MS, APRN, FNP-C, an assistant professor and nurse practitioner at the clinic.
Social work interns have helped homeless clients receive free medications through patient assistance programs established by pharmaceutical companies.
“The medications are mailed to the clinic every 90 days and the patients can better control their chronic illnesses like high blood pressure, diabetes or asthma,” Chambers said.
Interns also have put their case-management and mental health assessment skills to good use.
“The psychiatric nurse had an overwhelming caseload and we’ve been able to take some of the pressure off by performing assessments, seeing more clients and referring them to treatment or counseling,” said Quienton Nichols, Ph.D., LCSW, HS-BCP, director of field education and an assistant professor of social work. “We’re teaching our graduate students how to ask questions, to explore red flags and to delve deeper into issues that are affecting a client’s health.”
The social work team recently helped a mother of four who needed to be hospitalized for depression.
“She wasn’t a danger to her children and they didn’t need to be placed in child custody with DFCS [the Division of Family and Children Services],” Robinson-Dooley said. “She just needed someone to pick them up and take care of them while she received treatment.”
Her students found the children’s father, who came from Atlanta after work to pick them up.
“I have three kids of my own, so we cleaned out my car to find toys for the kids to play with and we brought in food from MUST [Ministries] to feed them. Then we waited four hours for the father to arrive,” Robinson-Dooley said.
Nichols, who has worked in a state mental health facility, for the Social Security Administration and in private practice, understands how the system works and is glad when he can prevent children from needlessly being placed in foster care.
“In a down economy, people are trying to find as many resources as they can,” Nichols said. “Social workers can help fill the gap as patient advocates. If we can’t find a way, we often make a way.
“I’m excited to be able to share what I do with students. They get to see my passion, my expertise and my mistakes. This clinic is a real learning lab.”
Working at the clinic was a great way to apply what he learned in the classroom, said James Stinchcomb, who recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in human services. He was an intern at the clinic last year from January to May.
“Seeing so many needs first-hand is very different from reading about them,” Stinchcomb said.
He worked with nursing students to help clients fill their prescriptions through low- or no-cost programs and to obtain food at food banks. He helped plan and run two health fairs, which provided free screenings for blood pressure, diabetes, mental health and HIV.
“The clinic staff embraced me and made me feel like a part of the team. It was great job training and I felt like I got plenty of real-world experience,” Stinchcomb said.
Stinchcomb majored in human services to work in the nonprofit sector. He’s especially interested in suicide prevention.
“My goal is to give back to the community and it was a wonderful experience to work at the clinic,” he said.
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