Publications by authors named "Deborah Bowers"

Background: Social determinants of health (SDOH) cause significant burden on individuals living with acute and chronic disease. There are meaningful data to support screening for social needs, yet implementation limitations exist in the clinical setting. Incorporating SDOH education into nurse practitioner (NP) curriculum provides a framework for bringing these concepts into clinical practice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Anxiety and depression among adolescents in the United States has steadily increased. In addition, significant disparities in access to mental health care exist for African Americans. The purpose of the current project was to support the mental health of African American adolescents involved in faith-based youth groups through implementation of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Registered Nurses (RNs) play a crucial role in enhancing community healthcare but are often not fully utilized in primary care settings.
  • - Two nursing schools in Alabama launched a project aimed at strengthening the primary care RN workforce, which includes the creation of the Primary Care Clinical Mentoring Academy (PCCMA).
  • - The PCCMA provides comprehensive training for RN clinical mentors, combining lectures and interactive activities, and participants found it beneficial for improving their skills and job performance in mentoring roles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Telehealth in health care delivery grew exponentially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This growth occurred because of necessity, yet requires capacity building to maximize the technology's use. In this article, we discuss the development, implementation, and evaluation of a telehealth fair to build capacity in the use of telehealth technology within primary care nursing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A grant-funded undergraduate nursing elective was designed to increase the bachelor of science in nursing-prepared nursing workforce in primary care. We created a board game to engage students to address complex needs of clients in primary care. Using patient scenario game cards, students identify and discuss levels of prevention, social determinants of health, and resiliency principles as they move along the board.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Social determinants of health (SDoH) account for up to 90% of health outcomes, whereas medical care accounts for only 10%-15%; despite this disparity, only 24% of hospitals and 16% of physician practices screen for the 5 social needs. Community-embedded and highly accessible, pharmacies are uniquely positioned to connect individuals to local community and social resources and thereby address SDoH. In this article, we explore novel community pharmacy practice models that address SDoH, provide real-world examples of these models, and discuss pathways for reimbursement and sustainability.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Most health care providers are aware that beginning combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) for patients infected with HIV has reduced morbidity of AIDS-related opportunistic infections and subsequently reduced HIV-related mortality. Effective ART leads to significantly reduced viral loads and increased CD4+ T cell counts, especially in the first few months after initiation. ART stimulates immune system reconstitution, thereby reducing the risk of exacerbation or acquisition of an opportunistic infection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF