Community Outreach and Engagement
The College of Health and Human Services is committed to an interprofessinoal collaborative approach to meeting human needs and improving the quality of life of individuals, families and communities in Southeastern North Carolina and beyond. We are passionate about addressing health issues through the empowerment of underserved communities and populations, the elimination health disparities, and the improvement of acute and chronic health outcomes. CHHS is committed to development effective partnerships, outreach, and service activities to help build healthier communities while developing and strengthening the health and human services workforce.
As a college we seek to be recognized for high quality teaching, research, and service. The hallmark of the CHHS experience is the application of theory to practice. Through community outreach and engagement experiences, our students will learn to develop and apply knowledge regarding illness, health, wellness, and human needs, while recognizing and building upon the innate strengths and dignity of individuals and communities. In this, we prepare the highest quality professional who possesses a unique understanding of how to synthesize knowledge in transdisciplinary teams to address real community problems. Our students and faculty work in close partnerships with the community to discover and apply scientific knowledge that serves the public and produces tangible benefits to human beings in all their diversity.
Below are just a few examples of our Community Outreach and Engagement Activities:
Strengths Collaborative
The Strengths/Resiliency-based Practice, Research and Training Collaborative housed in the School of Social Work in the College of Health and Human Services is a partnership of practitioners, agencies, communities, trainers and researchers dedicated to building strengths-based practices with individuals, families, and communities.The Collaborative is housed in the School of Social Work in the College of Health and Human Services. The Collaborative works closely with practitioners and educators in designing, delivering, and evaluating strengths/ resiliency-based approaches to human and educational services, achieved through five major programs, each of which has a variety of projects. For more information please contact Dr. Robert G. Blundo, blundor@uncw.edu or (910) 962-3438.
Child Welfare Education Collaborative
By providing specialized education, experiences, and financial assistance to social work students preparing to work in public child welfare the goal is to improve the standard of care to children and families. Established in 1999 the Child Welfare Education Collaborative is a joint effort of participating social work education programs, the NC Division of Social Services, the NC Association of County Directors of Social Services and the North Carolina chapter of NASW.
UNCW is one of six schools within the in the UNC system offering the Collaborative program. Child Welfare Scholars are chosen through a competitive process based on academic performance, experience, and commitment to the field of child welfare.
Camp Special Time
Faculty and students from the UNC Wilmington School of Nursing in the College of Health and Human Services collaborate with staff nurses from New Hanover Regional Medical Center, students and faculty from the UNCWRecreational Therapy Program, and students and faculty from the Occupational Health Program at Cape Fear Community College to provide health care and educational experiences for children with developmental and other chronic disabilities from Camp Lejeune. An additional goal is to provide respite for the parents and care-takers of the children. This initiative is implemented three times a year - in October, January-February, and April. An additional period is recommended to include July and explore the need for additional camps. The camps operate from 8:00 a.m. on Saturday until 12:30 p.m. on Sunday during the identified weekends. Volunteers will sleep in the same room as the campers at night. Faculties are skilled in working with children with chronic illnesses and disabilities. Evaluations by the students of the camp experiencereveal that this type of integrated experience cannot be achieved in any other environment in southeastern North Carolina.
Obesity Prevention Initiative
The Obesity Prevention Initiative is housed in the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences in the College of Health and Human Services. The Obesity Prevention Initiative (OPI) is a diverse community collaboration that was established in 2005 through Cape Fear Healthy Carolinians. The mission of the OPI is to increase the healthy weights of Cape Fear residents. OPI is dedicated to the institution of comprehensive plans and enduring systematic changes that will result in increased physical activity levels and healthier eating patterns.
Camp BONES
Camp BONES (Brigade of Nurse Exploring Seahawks) is a four-year nursing and health academy for underserved and underrepresented middle and high school students, recruited from eight counties in the southeastern North Carolina region. Student cohorts enter the academy in the 8th or 9th grade and continue through the 12th grade. Students selected must have a B average and a recommendation from an appropriate school official. The students must also have expressed an interest in a nursing or health sciences career. The small well-defined cohorts are engaged in an intense, rigorous educational curriculum, making them academically competitive for admission to nursing and other health science college programs. The goals of the academy are: (a) to address the looming shortage of nurses in North Carolina, (b) to encourage racial/ethnic minorities and males, both of whom have been traditionally underrepresented in nursing and health science professions, to pursue careers in nursing or other health sciences, (c) to expose participating students to an intensive four-year nursing and health science academy including math, chemistry, biology, anatomy, and other natural sciences courses to prepare them for admission into a college or university, (d) to partner with a Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), School of Health Sciences, Division of Nursing to replicate the Camp BONES model in Forsyth and surrounding counties. Since 2006, over 100 students have participated in the summer camps and weekend intensive programs from Forsythe and surrounding counties, as well as the eight southeastern counties in NC. Students have gained skills in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid, disaster preparedness, health research, oral and written communications, poster presentations, clinical simulation, vital signs, Scholastic Aptitude Testing and college preparation, advanced science and math, and media presentations. In the fourth summer of the program, students also completed an intensive three-week, NC state-approved, Nursing Assistant I course. Grants from the NC GlaxoSmithKline and Burroughs Welcome Foundations have allowed the School of Nursing to expand the program yearly from 2007 to 2011.
Annual Youth Health Summits
The School of Nursing partners with multiple health agencies, southeastern middle schools, and community groups to host annual youth health summits. Since the first summit was conducted in 2008, nearly 1100 seventh and eighth grade students have participated from eight southeastern NC counties, including: Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, and Sampson. Youth attending were from diverse racial/ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic groups, all with an interest in health or health professional careers. In partnerships with UNCW faculty, staff, and students; community partners from health and social service agencies; participants from the SON Camp BONES’ program; and motivational youth speakers, the SON hosted more than 40 workshops and health education sessions between 2008 and 2011. Some of the topics have included: teen obesity, adolescent pregnancy, gang resistance, substance abuse and tobacco awareness and prevention, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and physical activity and fitness. Each year students were also introduced to nursing and other health careers through open forums, interactive sessions, and poster presentations. The annual youth summits have been supported by grants from the NC GlaxoSmithKline and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundations. If more information is needed about the youth programs, contact Dr. Janie Canty-Mitchell, Professor and Associate Director for Research and Sponsored Programs, at 910-962-3766 or cantymitchellj@uncw.edu.
The Tobacco Free Colleges Initiative
This Initiative allows Community Health Education faculty and students to assist university and community colleges in our region in advocating, developing, and implementing campus tobacco policies.
I Can Do it, You Can Do it!
Faculty and students from the Health and Physical Education program are providing mentoring for physical activity programs for individuals with disabilities in the Wilmington community through its “I Can Do It, You Can Do It! Program.” This program, supported by a NIH Federal Grant, utilizes mentors who are matched with individuals with disabilities with the expressed purpose of assisting participants to safely and successfully participate in recreation and leisure-time pursuits of their choice in the communities in which they live.
After School Programing
Recreation, Sport Leadership, and Tourism Management students assist Wilmington Residential Adolescent Achievement Place (WRAAP) in running after school recreation programs.
Inclusive Physical Activity Programs
Exercise Science students and Health & Physical Education Teacher Licensure students in PED 415 Participate in an on-campus inclusive physical activity program for students with special needs from New Hanover County Schools.
Marketing Plan Development
Recreation, Sport Leadership, and Tourism Management create marketing plans for eight local recreation, sport or tourism small businesses.
Environmental Management
Faculty and students in the Recreation, Sport Leadership, and Tourism Management program collaborate with the NC Carolina Coastal Federation and Ft. Fisher State Recreation Area on environmental management events and issues.
New Hanover County Senior Games by the Sea
Exercise Science students and Gerontology students are involved with the New Hanover County Senior Games by the Sea program. This is a year round health promotion program for persons 55 years of age and older. Each spring, athletes and artists have the opportunity to compete in 40 sports events and 4 art categories.
“Safe Dates”
Health and Physical Education Teacher Licensure and Early Education majors in HEA 304 are partnering with Coastal Horizons to deliver a 10 lesson program titled "Safe Dates". This is an example of a primary health prevention program being delivered in our local middle schools via our HAHS majors and in collaboration with a non-profit community health organization.
Firefighter Fitness Program
The Community Health Education program has an ongoing collaboration with the Wilmington Fire Department whereby faculty and students are developing their fitness and wellness program, helping assess the level of fitness of each of the firefighters and establishing assessments and programs to improve the health of fire department personnel.
Impact of Combat on Aging
Veterans serve as guest lecturers in a course on the Impact of Combat on Aging. Graduate students in gerontology record and archive life histories of Vietnam veterans
Personal Disaster Management Plans
Gerontology faculty and students work with New Hanover County Department of Emergency Management to collect disaster prevention and management documents from Long-term care administrators; Students work one-on-one with older adults to create personal disaster management plans.
Leisure Education in the Transition Program for Youth (TPY)
Each semester students in RTH 371 (RT Interventions I) plan, implement and evaluate a 14-session leisure education program from Leisure Education in Compensatory Education to the high school transition program for youth (TPY) program located in the Watson School of Education. Prior to implementing the interventions, the RT students assess the high school student’s interests and abilities.
Accessible Recreation Day
Recreation Therapy students assist with the implementation and evaluation of a day-long event held at the UNCW Student Recreation Center for individuals of all ages with disabilities in Southeaster NC. Students adapt activities and equipment and assist professional athletes with disabilities and other instructors in teaching such activities as accessible golf, wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball, adapted climbing, seated yoga and aerobics, and numerous other activities.
Adapted Water Sport Day
Recreation Therapy students aid with the Adapted Water Sport Day and aid individuals with disabilities to participate in such activities as water and sit-skiing, jet skiing, kayaking, sailing, and tubing.
Recreation Therapy Dementia Protocols
Recreation Therapy students assess residents with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia at Davis Health Care Center, and based on their assessments, design, implement, and evaluate recreation therapy protocols from the Dementia Practice Guidelines for Recreational Therapy.
Athletic Training Reaches Out to the Community
Athletic Training students assist in providing preventative care and injury management for a variety of settings, including local High Schools and Physical Therapy clinics. Faculty, staff and students help to provide Athletic Training services for the community with events such as state gymnastics competitions, local high school lacrosse and football games, UNCW club sport events, Charlotte Bobcats' training camp, and UNCW Athletic Dept. summer camps.
Southeastern NC in Motion
Athletic Training students provide education on current trends in sports medicine to the community through pamphlets, speaking engagements, and events. For example, students recently hosted a demonstration table at the "Southeastern NC in Motion" event sponsored by Congressman Mike McIntyre.
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