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Maureen Quigley, BSN, School of Nursing, LaSalle University, 208 West Wayne Terrace Apt 11B, Collingswood, NJ 08108, 856-858-1467, maureenq@comcast.net and Katherine K. Kinsey, PhD, RN, FAAN, School of Nursing, La Salle Neighborhood Nursing Center, La Salle University, Box 808, 1900 West Olney Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19141.
Women with drug and/or alcohol addictions who seek residential substance abuse treatment programs want to re-enter their communities as productive, sober mothers. This May 2004 MSN-Public Health candidate’s two-semester project engaged 20 addictive pregnant or parenting women living in a West Philadelphia residential treatment center. The purpose of the project supports Healthy People 2010 goals and objective 7:11 Education and Community Based Programs and utilized the center’s therapeutic community model. The project engaged low-income women ages 18 to 36 years in weekly learning sessions. The overall program objective was to (1) reinforce communication techniques and community building skills; and, (2) recognize triggers that prevent them from remaining clean. The project enabled participants to better plan and rehearse behaviors needed to return their “home” environments that promoted a drug free and sober lifestyle. It further developed effective communication skills that would help establish and maintain the building of healthy communities. The project incorporated surveys, key informant interviews, and focus groups that explored the participants’ definition of community and their learning needs. Each session introduced a specific learning activity that promoted the open sharing of personal reflections and their abilities to relate the experience to themselves and the community at large. Formative and summative evaluations document participants’ learning and acquisition of community building skills. One outcome of the project has been the opportunity to share outcomes and project design with colleagues and staff for future program implementation with like residential treatment programs.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participants will be able to
Keywords: Community Building, Communication
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.