CSUSB Palm Desert Campus nursing students and faculty, led by Department of Nursing instructor Diane Vines, deliver many vital services to members of the community, including wound care, foot soaks, triage, health assessments, checking vital signs and blood glucose levels, medications management, and preventative healthcare and education, among others.

The Houston Family Foundation funding will support behavioral health by utilizing telehealth technologies at nurse clinics throughout the area. Nursing students, under faculty supervision, will assist with the assessment and testing in the field and help with the approval process for clients with a disability or mental health disorders. Clients will be connected to a prescriber who will order medications dispensed by the nursing students and faculty members. 

CSUSB students gain valuable experience assisting with the assessment and testing in the field, and services offered would increase approvals for clients with disability for mental health disorders.

“We are so honored to be chosen by the Houston Family Foundation to expand behavioral health services in the Coachella Valley, working with the Desert Healthcare District, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, the Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine and other organizations,” said Vines. “We will educate our future Valley nurses on working with these vulnerable populations with empathy and skill.”

The Nursing Street Medicine program increases access to healthcare through nurse clinics and other outreach programs to improve people's well-being, provide preventive services, treat chronic diseases/medication management, and make referrals for follow-up care. With access to the nurse clinics, the program aims to decrease emergency room visits and impact acute care facilities.

The team delivers a valuable service at no cost to those most economically in need of necessities. They also increase the number of registered nurses in the valley who have experience engaging vulnerable populations. As collaborative partners in the community, the Department of Nursing at the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus is creating and contributing to an educated healthcare workforce.

Nurse clinics are held at shelters, free food program locations, homeless encampments, and cooling/warming centers.

Contact Diane Vines at diane.vines@csusb.edu for more information about the CSUSB Nursing Street Medicine program.

To learn more about the Houston Family Foundation, visit their website.