Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112546

Christine Ortiz, PhD, RN, PHN, Nursing, California State University, Fresno, 2345 E. San Ramon Ave. M/S MH25, Fresno, CA 93740-8031, 559/278-2835, cortiz@csufresno.edu

A community partnership has developed with the California State University, Fresno, Department of Nursing and Stone Soup Fresno. Stone Soup Fresno is a community organization that provides services to the low-income Hmong community that resides near the California State University, Fresno campus. A faculty member and student nurses developed a home safety program for children aged zero to five from 2003 through 2005 in a culturally sensitive manner for the multigenerational Hmong members in the community. Thirty families were recruited and an initial assessment of the home environment was accomplished to identify areas of concern related to prevention of burns, suffocation, falls, and poisoning to assist with the development and presentation of the educational materials. Numerous follow-up home visits were done to evaluate parents and grandparents understanding of prevention information. Additionally, fire extinguishers, fire retardant sleepwear, smoke detectors, and cabinet door latches were distributed and installed through the program. As a result of the development of the home safety program, the nursing students have continued to educate the Hmong community members including those that have emigrated from Thailand during 2005 to the Central Valley. This project was funded by First 5 of California.

Learning Objectives: