Partnership brings health screenings to seniors

Category: Local News Releases Local News Releases
Published: 15 September 2016 15 September 2016

hssh nurses RSWNMU nursing students will be helping seniors stay healthy by offering health screenings monthly, at no charge,
at Grant County Senior Centers.Grant County, New Mexico, September 14, 2016: Grant County seniors can now receive monthly health screenings at no charge right in their community. Western New Mexico (WNMU) School of Nursing and Grant County have partnered to create the "Helping Seniors Stay Healthy" (HSSH) program that increases student nurses' real world experience while offering seniors free health screenings in the comfort of their local senior center.

Grant County Manager Charlene Webb says, "Grant County is very fortunate to partner with WNMU School of Nursing to provide additional services to the County's Senior population. The Helping Seniors Stay Healthy initiative will benefit the nursing students with hands-on experience and our seniors with valuable health care service at no charge."

Overseeing the program are WNMU School of Nursing faculty, Alexis Harsh, MSN, CFNP, CPNP, and Krista Wood, MSN Clinical Nurse Leadership.

Wood says, "We believe its key to our nursing students' success to participate in community health. Our curriculum includes the future nurses aiding the community in a variety of ways throughout their educational experience at WNMU."

According to "Health People 2020", a national agenda for reducing significant preventable threats to health, seniors in rural areas are more isolated and must travel greater distances to access wellness and prevention programs. To complicate matters, rural seniors have higher rates preventable diseases like diabetes and heart disease, which decreases their life expectancy.

HSSH Coordinator Chris DeBolt says, "Senior Centers are natural hubs for all kinds of services for our seniors with programs that encourage them to take better care of themselves and feel healthier."

By offering the health screenings at local senior centers, Grant County hopes to influence seniors to better understand and monitor their overall health while promoting healthy habits.

Harsh adds, "Such opportunities give our students insight into the broader scope of being a nurse in rural America, and the chance to interact with residents who are similar to their future patients."

The program is funded by a grant from the Freeport McMoRan Foundation.

The health screenings will be available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the following dates and locations: Tuesday, September 20, 2016, at Gila, Santa Clara and Silver City Senior Centers, and on Thursday, September 22, 2016 at the Mimbres Senior Center.

Health screenings should not be a substitute for a person's annual physical exam conducted by a physician or health care provider. Health screenings can aid in general monitoring of wellness and catch the warning signs of more serious condition.

For more information on HSSH program call the senior center in your community or contact Grant County at (575) 574-0035.

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