Report from the IU Center for Rural Engagement

Student nurses extend home health services to rural Hoosiers

For more than four decades, Southern Indiana Health Care (SICHC) has provided high-quality, community-based healthcare to families in Southern Indiana. SICHC, the Center for Rural Engagement's Sustaining Hoosier Communities program, and IU SON, Bloomington have teamed up to conduct home visits for patients with chronic diabetes this fall and spring.

As part of their clinical experience, students in Assistant Professor Greg Carter’s classes are helping patients with diabetes test their A1C values, learn how to improve their health, and evaluate the safety of their homes. Dr. Carter's students are also assessing the availability of health services in Orange County that would benefit their patients.
 
“Together, SICHC, the Center for Rural Engagement, and Dr. Carter’s School of Nursing students are not only providing patient-centered care to individuals with diabetes, they are also studying how to improve the health services system in the county,” says Kyla Cox Deckard, Director of Communications for the Center for Rural Engagement.  

Congratulations, Dr. Carter and students, on your partnership with SICHC. We look forward to hearing more about your efforts on behalf of Orange County families and your recommendations for improving families' access to quality patient care.
During their first visit, students from Dr. Greg Carter’s class met with Donna Charles and learned about the important role that Southern Indiana Community Health Care plays in the greater Indiana Uplands region.
Dr. Greg Carter and his students   Photos by Jeni Waters, Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement

About the IU Center for Rural Engagement

The IU Center for Rural Engagement connects the broad resources of IU Bloomington and its region through collaborative initiatives. The goal of the center is to improve the lives of Hoosiers through its work with partners to discover and deploy scalable and flexible solutions to common challenges facing rural communities. The center will connect with communities to build upon their many opportunities and assets, such as the natural beauty of the region, their family-friendly culture and their many economic resources.