Abstract
Title: Empowering Homeless Individuals through an Interprofessional Campus to Community Engagement|Creighton University's Office for Interprofessional Scholarship, Service and Education (OISSE) is responsible for developing interprofessional engagements for health science students. One of OISSE's annual engagements, Project Homeless Connect Omaha (PHCO), is an outreach program that reaches over 400 homeless individuals each year. Medical screenings, social services, and additional resources are available to clients throughout the day. Upon arrival, individuals are paired with a navigator to assist throughout the services provided. PHCO engages over 300 students and faculty from seven health professions, with over fifty social service agencies.|PHCO clients proceed through health screenings and social service providers based on immediate and personal needs. Once completed, clients can consult with community health professionals and students regarding follow-up appointments and prioritization of subsequent steps. The innovative Health Report Card? will be described as a tool created to empower clients with strategies for sustainable care and community resources.|Together with community and campus partners, OISSE Core Faculty and Staff serve as members of the PHCO leadership team. IPE 413 Developing Care for a Vulnerable Population: An Interprofessional Collaborative Approach for Health Promotion? was adapted for PHCO. This course includes interprofessional student leadership teams from Medicine, Nursing, Occupational and Physical Therapy, Pharmacy, and Social Work. Students collaborate across disciplines to coordinate the health screening stations and social services provided to clients. The students also learn cultural sensitivity, patient-centeredness, and how to actualize the service mission of the University through interprofessional teamwork. Best practices to support client empowerment and address client needs will be highlighted for participants.|By the end of this session, participants will be able to:|Identify successful partnerships between health and social care providers created to empower clients|Summarize pioneering strategies for implementing interprofessional community engagements|Reflect upon benefits and challenges of community engagement health/social care and follow-up for the homeless population|