Week 12 725C Blog Post

Review in detail your service-learning site:

Where are you serving?

I am doing my service learning at Providence Benedictine Nursing Center.  This nursing center is located in Mt. Angel, Oregon.  This is a rural farming community 15 miles east of the state capital.  The Sisters of Benedictine started a nursing home in Mt. Angel in 1955 in a house in the community.  In 1957 they broke ground on the building that currently is Providence Benedictine Nursing Center.  In 1998 the Sisters of Benedictine and the Sisters of Providence agreed that the Providence Health System would be a good organization to run the nursing home moving forward and Providence Health bought the nursing center.  The Sisters of Benedictine live next door at their monastery and frequently visit residents in the nursing center. 

What does the agency do?

Providence Benedictine is a 98-bed long-term care facility.  36 of the 98 beds are dedicated to post-acute rehab and do not service long-term care patients.  The campus cares for the elderly population via their long-term care services, post-acute rehab services as well as home health, hospice, and assisted living services.  Providence Benedictine is also active in the community of Mt. Angel. 

Who are the clients and what needs are served?

The clients are the elderly population of primarily Marion County.  However clients can and do come from other county’s in Oregon.  This campus also serves underserved and impoverished elderly clients.  They accept Medicare and Medicaid and also have a charitable foundation to help offset costs of care for those who cannot afford it. The needs that are served range from in home care, hospice care, long-term care, assisted living care, and post-acute rehab. 

What is the agency funding support?

Providence Benedictine has multiple payers to include Medicare, Medicaid, Keiser Permanente, and the Providence Health Plan.  This facility also has a foundation that raises money to offset the cost of care, constructions, equipment costs, and other financial needs that may arise.

I have spent 20 hours of service learning at Providence Benedictine this semester.  I have been working with the residents on a garden project.  We are converting one of the cement patios into an outdoor garden so that residents can access the garden and be able to enjoy going outside. There will be a covered potion to the garden with the final project.  Residents drive the formation of the garden and need man power to bring it to fruition. 

What roles do DNPs play in promoting health and wellness in underserved?  I believe that my role as a DNP in this project will continue to be a role model for staff.  It shows them that we can think outside the box and confines of our “jobs” and reach people on a different level. 

How do you perceive your individual role in this?   I plan to see this project through to the end, which means once I have completed the DNP program my service learning will continue.  I believe that service learning is one way a DNP can provide health and wellness to the underserved in the community. 

What was the best/worst/most challenging thing that happened this semester? (DEAL Model format)

Describe: The worst thing by far that happened this semester was the violent death of a 25 year head nurse at Benedictine.  It was so senseless and has left us with a very big whole in our hearts. 

Examine:  This nurse was the epitome of a servant leader.  She lived her life to serve others and showed God’s love to all.  This has been so hard for the staff to come to grips with and people are still in varies stages of grief. 

Articulate the Learning:  I have learned about love for others through this tragedy.  It is literally so unimaginable to me and I have seen the strength of family at work in action.  Everyone grieves in their own way and you have to meet people where they are to help them find some sense to be able to move forward. 

Tracy