A decade of compassionate, community care
University-sponsored health clinics are common across the country. But over the past decade, the Richmond Health and Wellness Program (RHWP), spearheaded by the Virginia Commonwealth University School Nursing, has earned a national reputation as a model for holistic care coordination.
The program delivers weekly wellness clinics that focus on health assessment, monitoring, and coaching in five community-based sites across the Richmond region. Some of the things patients learn include effective chronic disease self-management and diet management through healthy cooking demonstrations as well as wellness coaching. The care helps them proactively manage other health issues and social needs before they develop into emergencies.
What makes this program unique are the connections participants build with students. About 100 VCU undergraduate and graduate learners essentially run the program with guidance of faculty members. In ten years, it has evolved by incorporating students from across a wide variety of VCU’s health science disciplines who learn how to advocate and empower their participants to access the services they need.
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