This lightning talk will describe the design, implementation and evaluation of an interprofessional (IP) practice-education partnership in public libraries known as the Stony Brook Medicine Healthy Libraries Program (HeLP). HeLP is an experiential IPE program in which teams of nursing, public health, social work, and physician assistant students and faculty collaborate to provide evidence-based health information, blood pressure screening and link library patrons to care. The team promotes access to preventive healthcare as part of a competency-based learning experience in 15 suburban public libraries. Public libraries are trusted spaces that are frequented by vulnerable populations and where patrons are already accessing information and resources. The partnership through HeLP allows marginalized patrons access to healthcare and health information while providing the students opportunities to develop their clinical and IP skills in a creative practice setting.
This presentation will describe the innovative HeLP team model and how the model has been implemented sustainably since 2019 through collaborative partnerships across the health professions degree programs and with public libraries. The presentation will include methods employed for pre- and post-assessment of IP learning outcomes among students, as well as community impact measures used among patrons of different ages, genders, race/ethnicities. HeLP utilizes strategies to engage with its library partners, including regularly scheduled meetings and “check-ins” and regular faculty meetings to coordinate across disciplines. The team also has consistent team meetings with the student participants to strengthen the team.
Findings from evaluation of HeLP demonstrate that students who participate in team-based experiential IPE achieve the IPEC (2016, 2023) competencies in non-clinical practice settings while providing communities with enhanced access to health information, evidence-based blood pressure screenings, resources, supportive services and preventive healthcare. University and community IP partnerships such as HeLP positively impact population health while increasing access to healthcare and health information.
