Mall location provides easy access to education
Mall location provides easy access to education
Get em while they shop
Looking for space for a health resource center? Perhaps you should look beyond the walls of your health care facility. When there is no room within a hospital or clinic, look out into your community to see what prime locations might be available. The University of Missouri Hospitals & Clinics in Columbia found a successful site — at the local mall.
In an unusual community outreach effort, the health care system opened the Health Information Center at the entrance to the Columbia Mall in 1988. It was a small 750-square-foot facility; however, in 1997 it was relocated to a 1,043-square-foot space. Located next to one of the major anchors at the mall, the health center is in a much more heavily trafficked area than the previous location.
The design of the center and the services offered take advantage of the opportunity to reach consumers on a daily basis. The Health Information Center offers a broad array of services to provide easy access to accurate health information and to encourage people to take an active role in maintaining their health, says Ceresa Ward, MS, RN, manager of Health Improvement Services.
The health center has the services consumers generally expect at such a facility. Free bro chures on a variety of health topics are available, and there are two computer stations with Internet connections that visitors can use. Also, over 400 books and tapes are available and approximately 100 new titles are added each year. Currently, about 60 books are checked out each month. Consumers also can borrow videos that address such topics as stress and anxiety, insomnia, back pain, high blood pressure, anorexia, and bulimia.
Good method for reaching healthy people
In addition, there are many ongoing services offered that health care facilities usually can only provide on a limited basis at special events such as health fairs. For example, many screening tests are available. "People who come to shop see the facility and decide to have their blood pressure checked. This is an excellent way to screen healthy people who do not visit a health facility often," says Ward.
One nurse staffs the reception area for blood pressures on a daily basis. On the days other screenings are offered, an additional nurse is scheduled. Most screenings are by appointment and either held monthly or quarterly. Some screenings are implemented by hospital staff, such as pulmonary function tests and EKG cards.
Screenings include:
• Glucose screenings.
People ages 13 and over can have a glucose test on the third Tuesday of each month on a walk-in basis.
• Hearing and vision testing.
Nurses offer adult hearing and vision screenings by appointment on Tuesdays to determine if an individual needs further testing for hearing loss, glasses, or a modification of a current glasses prescription.
• Cholesterol tests.
On the first Tuesday of each month, three types of cholesterol testing are available to screen for risk of heart disease: total cholesterol, total cholesterol with HDL, and complete lipid profile.
• Blood pressure screenings.
Blood pressure checks are available to people of all ages on a walk-in basis. The readings, along with a pulse check, are recorded in a computer log that can be printed out and sent to the client’s physician. The nurse can provide education on ways to lower blood pressure as well as instruction on home monitoring equipment and information on medications.
• Fitness evaluation.
The fitness evaluation includes testing for strength and flexibility as well as body fat testing. Clients receive written results and instructions for a workable exercise plan. The cost is $10.
Another service that is convenient for consumers and helps promote health is immunizations. Tetanus/diphtheria shots are available at the health center for $8, and hepatitis B vaccinations are available for $50. Both of these immunizations are available on a walk-in basis. Flu shots are usually scheduled two days a week during October and November for $10 and are free to people over age 65. Immunizations needed for travel outside the country are available by appointment. "Often seniors let their tetanus immunization lapse, so we stress getting a booster during the summer when people work outside," says Ward.
Because the mall setting is easily accessed and has convenient parking, the site is a good place to hold community outreach classes. Although class size is limited to about 15 people due to space restrictions, this has proven to be a good size for a health class.
Topics are frequently aimed at seniors, because they are the most receptive to health promotion strategies, says Ward. Pre-packaged classes that are easy to implement are often used, such as Memory Retention, produced by the Council on Aging, and Fibromyalgia classes from the Atlanta-based Arthritis Foundation.
A popular program that was implemented 10 years ago is Mall Walking. The Mallwalkers Club meets at the Health Information Center as early as 6:30 a.m. to walk the .75 mile course within the six wings of the mall. Regular hours for the center are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The center provides juice each morning to walkers and has fitness software installed on the consumer computer terminals so participants can log their personal walking progress. Senior volunteers arrive at the center early to provide staffing for the mall walk.
"We can recommend mall walking to many people who are unable or unwilling to exercise in other settings such as health clubs, bad weather, or alone at home. It is an easy service to provide, promotes health, and sometimes brings referrals into our system," says Ward.
Although the Health Information Center is in the community, a connection is made with physicians in a clinic setting through the use of a health prescription. (See example of health prescription, above.) The prescription gives physicians a way to refer clients for health teaching in a community setting. "It seems there is little time to do in-depth teaching during clinic visits, even when a need is identified, such as smoking cessation or how to start an exercise routine," explains Ward.
For more information on the Health Information Center, contact:
• Ceresa Ward, MS, RN, Manager, Health Improvement Services, University of Missouri Hospitals & Clinics, UP Office Building, One Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65211. Telephone: (573) 882-7126. E-mail: wardc@ health.missouri.edu.
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