Mennonite College of Nursing and the Community Health Care Clinic were presented with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Exemplary Academic-Practice Partnership Award at MCN’s Alumni Celebration on December 1. The event took place at ISU’s Alumni Center from 4-6 p.m., with remarks by Dean Judy Neubrander and award presentation at 5 p.m. Mike Romagnoli, executive director of CHCC, and Brigitte Lamar RN, nurse care coordinator at the clinic, were present on behalf of CHCC.
The Exemplary Academic-Practice Partnership Award is a national honor presented once a year to AACN member schools and their practice partners. It is awarded to best-of-the-best institutions with very productive, model academic-practice partnerships. MCN has partnered with CHCC for several years on a program named CAUSE, or Change Agents for the Underserved: Service Education. A main goal of the relationship is to educate registered nurses and nursing students to function at the full scope of the license in primary care settings.
“Our partnership with CHCC is to educate nurses, improve the health of patients served by the clinic, prevent hospital readmission, and demonstrate a cost savings through care coordination and management of chronic illness, mental health, and substance abuse,” explains Project Director and Illinois State faculty member Susan Watkins. “It is an honor for both MCN and CHCC to have our work together recognized by the AACN on a national level. This program is truly assisting the underserved populations in our community in a very meaningful way.”
You can learn more about CAUSE at its website.
Mennonite College of Nursing offers a variety of undergraduate, doctoral, and certificate programs. You can learn more about Mennonite College of Nursing at Nursing.IllinoisState.edu.
