The Mission of IIHHS is to engage students in career preparation by promoting scholarship, providing interprofessional learning experiences, and connecting our campus with communities through innovative programs that advance quality of life. The Institute offers educational programs, clinical services, community outreach and research initiatives that provide students with cutting edge training while addressing significant community needs. IIHHS Community Engagement Programs

Caregivers Community Network

Caregivers Community Network offers unique services for persons with Alzheimer’s disease, frail elders, and their family caregivers. Caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s disease and frail elderly experience a great amount of stress in day-to-day life. At CCN students are given the opportunity for service learning. CCN can help to give caregivers a break and provide valuable time to themselves. Learn more about CCN

Precious Times Pediatric Respite Program

The Claude Moore Foundation awarded this program grant funds to provide respite care to families who have special needs children. This respite program relies on students from nursing, social work, psychology, and other health and human service majors to provide caregivers with supportive assistance in meeting the demands of their family responsibilities. Learn more about Precious Time

Suitcase Clinic

The Healthcare for the Homeless Suitcase Clinic provides a unique healthcare delivery model that addresses the unconventional and complex health concerns of both sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals. Specifically, it provides onsite urgent care services, chronic illness management, and preventative care to homeless clients enrolled in local shelters while simultaneously providing on site case management services. Uniquely, rather than the program functioning within a permanent clinic setting, the supplies can be transported in a suitcase on wheels and the clinic functions in private space within the shelter sites.

In collaboration with the Harrisonburg/Rockingham Free Clinic and Sentara RMH as lead community partners, the Suitcase Clinic provides 18-20 clinic hours/week in five homeless shelters and provides services to over 400 unduplicated homeless clients each year. The clinic is staffed by one full-time nursing case manager, volunteer providers, and numerous volunteers including JMU nursing students.

Undergraduate Primary Care and Rural Education Project (UPCARE)

The UPCARE Project addresses the need to support and improve community-based preparedness of the BSN workforce in rural Page County, Virginia. This will be accomplished by increasing the BSN-prepared workforce employed in primary health care; establishing a liaison-led, preceptor-based program using an interprofessional approach as a vehicle for project interventions; and developing and implementing interventions focusing on mental health/substance abuse and chronic disease prevention/control in a rural, underserved primary care environment. ​

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