Nurse's Desk: food bank-based outreach and screening to decrease unmet referral needs.

Area of Science:

• Community Health Nursing
• Public Health Interventions
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Food bank clients represent a vulnerable population with potential barriers to healthcare access.
• Health screening and timely referrals are critical for managing chronic conditions in underserved communities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the health status and unmet referral needs of food bank clients using the Intervention Wheel model.
• To identify the prevalence of hypertension and elevated blood glucose levels within this population.

Main Methods:

• The Nurse's Desk project screened 506 food bank clients.
• Data collected included blood glucose, blood pressure, healthcare utilization, and referral needs.
• The Intervention Wheel model guided outreach, screening, education, and referral processes.

Main Results:

• Over 62% of clients (318) had at least one unmet referral need.
• Hypertension was identified in 31.9% of clients (132).
• Elevated capillary blood glucose levels (over 199 mg/dL) were found in 3.16% of clients (6).
• Clients exhibited higher blood pressure and undiagnosed diabetes rates compared to the general population.

Conclusions:

• Food bank clients exhibit significant unmet health needs and higher prevalence of hypertension and potential diabetes.
• A robust, client-approved referral tracking system is essential for this high-risk population.
• Community-based nursing interventions are vital for addressing health disparities in vulnerable groups.