Ann M. Ryan-Haddad

Two Year Sustainability of the Effect of a Financial Education Program on the Health and Wellbeing of Single, Low-Income Women

Financial stress is implicated in poor health and decreased Quality of Life (QOL). The purpose of this project was to assess the 2-year effect of a financial education program on the health of single, low-income women. A total of 30 women were enrolled and 20 continued through follow-up. Two years following intervention, women demonstrated a

Preparing Students for Team-Based Care for Vulnerable Populations

8,026 increase in mean annual income and significant improvements in health-related QOL and hopefulness. Half of the participants lost weight, and while not statistically significant, mean weight decreased by 2.2 pounds. Trends in decreased fast food consumption were observed. The results suggest that financial education has a significant, sustained effect on the health and health-related QOL of single, women of low income.

Measuring clinical outcomes of animal-assisted therapy: impact on resident medication usage.

Health professionals have an obligation to improve both the health of the individual and the public in a time of scarce resources. The Institute of Medicine (IOM), Healthy People Curriculum Task Force and professional education accreditation standards indicate the need for health care professionals to demonstrate competencies related to community engagement, basic health promotion skills and the ability to work effectively in interprofessional teams. An Interprofessional Course, IPE 413: Developing Care for a Vulnerable Population provides students the opportunity to collaborate to address health needs in cooperation with a community partner. Students work in teams to address the complex health care needs of an individual community member. The one hour elective course is open to students from nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, social work, and exercise science. Efforts are underway to explore the possibility of offering this course to medical students. Students are assessed on the knowledge and experience gained through this interprofessional experience using the Team Skills Scale and student reflections. Faculties from each of the disciplines utilize a collaborative model in the instructional design of the course. The content is co-taught and faculty not only role model interprofessional care, but also serve as mentors and resource personnel for the students as they work with their clients. Received: 07/10/2015 Accepted: 08/28/2015