Community Engagement and Diversity Inclusion Projects & Activities

Community partnership and collaboration are core elements of the University of Louisville's mission, and the School of Nursing is a major player in community engagement and service at the university. Whether it is service learning in clinics and hospitals across Kentucky, partnering to address priorities of underserved neighborhoods, or contributing to the health of communities internationally, UofL School of Nursing is committed to collaborating with others to improve health in places both near and far.

Partnering with the Community to Provide Clothing

As part of the Community Leadership Practicum course led by School of Nursing faculty Kristin Baisch, a group of senior nursing students partnered with school peers, generous citizens of Louisville, and fellow Health Science Campus schools to gather donations and discounted items to provide clothing to a homeless population in Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to working with multiple agencies and departments, the students were awarded a scholarship from the Office of Community Engagement and Diversity Inclusion. With the funds received, students were able to purchase hats, gloves, socks, and undergarments to provide clothing for the winter season.

Implementing a Well-Being Intervention Among Homeless Men

In 2018, School of Nursing N-473 students, led by Assistant Professor Alona Pack, focused their culminating experience project on providing education to homeless men, who frequent the St. John Center, on the process for expungement of felony records with the aim of removing barriers for employment. An educational session was held on November 8^th that included a verbal presentation, a brochure on the expungement process and the opportunity to meet with a representative from the Legal Aid Society. All of the men who participated received a backpack that included hand warmers, hygienic items, and non-perishable food items. St. Stephens Church also donated socks, snacks, pill containers, and chapsticks.

Training Staff and Administrators at the Independence Belize Poly Clinic

In 2017, students from the UofL School of Nursing, along with project supervisor and UofL faculty member Whitney Nash, partnered with staff and administrators at the Independence Belize Poly Clinic as part of the International Service Learning program. Community partners at the clinic had an interest in a defibrillator as well as education related to its use. The School of Nursing purchased a defibrillator from Supplies Overseas using funds provided by the Office of Community Engagement and Diversity Inclusion. After testing to ensure the defibrillator tested and deemed usable and safe, the defibrillator was donated to the clinic as an educational and instructional device.

Caring for Patients and Providing Medical Supplies in Thommen, Haiti

In 2016, School of Nursing students, along with faculty members Drs. Marianne Hutti and Sara Robertson, visited four villages and a clinic operated by Project Medishare near Thomen, Haiti as part of the International Service Learning program. During the trip, faculty members worked with students to provide primary care for over five hundred patients and vision screenings for four hundred. Funds provided by the Office of Community Engagement and Diversity and Inclusion supported the purchase of medical supplies requested by Project Medishare, as well as reading glasses for patients.

The Signature Partnership Initiative

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Activities Serving West Louisville in 2020 - 2021

UofL's Signature Partnership Initiative is a University-wide effort to enhance the quality of life, educational and economic opportunity for residents of West Louisville

The goal for the School of Nursing is to work with a wide range of community collaborators to improve the health and quality of individuals and families living in our urban core.

¹As of 2015-2016, we are adding more specificity by categorizing different types of community engagement activities in further alignment with definitions provided within the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification process. The categories, Partnership, Outreach, Curricular Engagement, and Engaged Scholarship, are described above.

²These numbers represent instances of service and may reflect a duplicated head count for faculty, staff, and students; but does not represent a duplication of service.