WVU School of Nursing receives funding from Pallottine Foundation of Buckhannon to support access to nurse-led care

The Pallottine Foundation of Buckhannon is contributing $15,000 in funding to the WVU School of Nursing to support community engagement work in Barbour County.

The funding, which is part of a 2023-24 Healthy Communities Initiative, will be used to support nurse-led initiatives to develop access to care points within faith community settings in Barbour County.

“The access to care points are developed within faith community settings that are close to home for many rural West Virginians,” said Dr. Angel Smothers, Associate Dean for Community Engagement. “Community members can receive health education, screening and support by a trained faith community nurse.”

Smothers said the School of Nursing has been training faith community nurses for the past seven years. To date, they have trained more than 100 nurses.

“We are looking forward to working with the WVU School of Nursing on this project,” said Sarah Campbell, Health Program Officer with the Pallottine Foundation of Buckhannon. “These nurses will provide holistic healthcare services to faith communities in Barbour County and will become advocates for patients, connecting them to other resources in the community and guiding their care.”

The funding will allow the School of Nursing to train two nurses from Barbour County and support them as they build access to nurse-led care.

If you are a Barbour County nurse who is interested in receiving the training at no cost, please contact Dr. Angel Smothers at asmothers@hsc.wvu.edu.

The funding from the Pallottine Foundation of Buckhannon was awarded via the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.

-WVU-

CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu