Abstract
The health and well-being of children are critical factors in their academic success and overall development. In our state, a significant percentage of families face barriers to accessing essential healthcare services, particularly among uninsured families, low-income populations, and migrants. North Carolina law mandates that children receive a health assessment, including hearing and vision screening, along with required immunizations, within twelve months before entering public school, or they may face expulsion. Many children, especially those from underserved communities, struggle to meet this requirement, jeopardizing their education and health. Recognizing these challenges, our School of Nursing Mobile Health Clinic worked with community partners to organize an inter-professional community event to provide free health assessments for students. The School Health Event was designed to bridge the identified gap in care and connect families with vital community resources. By addressing both immediate healthcare needs and broader social determinants of health, this initiative aimed to foster health equity and empower families to access the care they deserve. Using the Centers for Disease Control's Program Evaluation Framework, this presentation will address key lessons learned, outcomes, and provide recommendations for improving future events to ensure continued support for children and families.
Notes
References:
Evans, K., Perez-Aponte, J., & McRoy, R. (2020). Without a paddle: Barriers to school enrollment procedures for immigrant students and families. Education and Urban Society, 52(9), 1283–1304. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124519894976
Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. (2024). North Carolina — Children’s health coverage report card. https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2024/02/22/north-carolina-childrens-health-coverage-report-card/
Hunter, K., Knettel, B., Reisinger, D., Ganapathy, P., Lian, T., Wong, J., Mayorga-Young, D., Zhou, A., Elnagheeb, M., McGovern, M., Thielman, N., Whetten, K., & Esmaili, E. (2020). Examining health care access for refugee children and families in the North Carolina Triangle Area. North Carolina Medical Journal, 81(6), 348–354. https://doi.org/10.18043/ncm.81.6.348
Sigma Membership
Alpha Alpha
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Interprofessional Initiatives, Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Academic-Clinical Partnership, School Health Services, Health Promotion
Recommended Citation
Davison, Jean Ann, "IPEP Partnerships that Remove Barriers to Student Enrollment by Providing Free Health Assessments" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 102.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/102
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-07-30
IPEP Partnerships that Remove Barriers to Student Enrollment by Providing Free Health Assessments
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The health and well-being of children are critical factors in their academic success and overall development. In our state, a significant percentage of families face barriers to accessing essential healthcare services, particularly among uninsured families, low-income populations, and migrants. North Carolina law mandates that children receive a health assessment, including hearing and vision screening, along with required immunizations, within twelve months before entering public school, or they may face expulsion. Many children, especially those from underserved communities, struggle to meet this requirement, jeopardizing their education and health. Recognizing these challenges, our School of Nursing Mobile Health Clinic worked with community partners to organize an inter-professional community event to provide free health assessments for students. The School Health Event was designed to bridge the identified gap in care and connect families with vital community resources. By addressing both immediate healthcare needs and broader social determinants of health, this initiative aimed to foster health equity and empower families to access the care they deserve. Using the Centers for Disease Control's Program Evaluation Framework, this presentation will address key lessons learned, outcomes, and provide recommendations for improving future events to ensure continued support for children and families.
Description
The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the planning of a free IPEP School Health Event, lessons learned, and to evaluate its impact on the community using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Program Evaluation Framework. Key findings include successfully providing health assessments to 120 students, including immunizations to prevent their expulsion from school, and connecting families with ongoing healthcare resources in the community.