Date of Award

5-1-2020

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Kathleen Clark DNP, RN

Second Advisor

Joyce P Miller DNP, RN

Third Advisor

Kristin McHale DNP, RN

Abstract

Persons living in the margins may be separated or isolated because of poverty, disability, gender, and ethnicity. Isolation, along with exposure to at-risk environments and barriers to accessing health care, contributes to adverse health outcomes. Nurses must be open to learning essential transcultural skills to work with persons living in the margins to provide culturally appropriate care that addresses health inequities. Students in a Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Augsburg University developed an innovative approach to care for people living in the margins. The Health Commons, a nursing-led drop-in center in Rochester, MN, and grounded in Newman's (1999) Health is Expanding Consciousness Nursing Theory, is a safe space for people experiencing marginalization to develop relationships. The Rochester Health Commons (RHC) provides a place for guests experiencing resource insecurity to meet with nurses, receive basic personal care supplies, and discuss identified health concerns. The RHC engages with the community using transcultural nursing skills, creating nurse and citizen agency, and builds relationships by creating an environment of belonging and fostering health membership. Tracking the number of guests visiting the RHC helped gauge the success of the RHC. An increase in the number of returning guests was a positive measurable outcome because it reflects the connections and trust developing within the RHC. In the RHC nurses actively advocate for social justice and join guests on their healthcare journey through accompaniment. The RHC fosters a sense of belonging within a community and promotes health outcomes that negate ill effects of inequities and isolationism.

Identifier

SC 11. DNP.2020.DivelyW.M

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