Army veteran Joe Fox admits he struggled with his mental health.
Molly Smerika
CU Anschutz
Eucation II North
13120 East 19th Avenue
3rd Floor - Room 3255
Aurora, CO 80045
Community Veteran and Military Health
When you talk to Cedric King, he brightens the room and emits positive energy.
Community Faculty Alumni Students
Kelly Devine Arch is a mother, nurse, and certified nurse-midwife, and wants expectant mothers to know it’s okay to ask for help with their mental health.
What does space flight have in common with adjusting to life after serving in the military?
Black pregnant and postpartum people in Colorado were 1.9 times more likely to die during pregnancy or within one year of the end of pregnancy compared to the state’s overall pregnant population.
There’s a devastating need for maternity care in rural communities: over 2 million women in the US live in areas without access to birth facilities or maternity care providers. In Colorado, nearly 40% of counties are maternity care deserts. Colorado has 65,000 annual births, about 8,000 of which happen in rural communities.1
The University of Colorado College of Nursing at Anschutz Medical Campus is taking steps to expand its healthcare footprint around the world.
Being a nurse is more than working a 12-hour shift in the hospital. It’s also about getting out and giving back to their community.
You might see someone with pale or discolored skin. Their body might be limp…they may not be breathing…or they could be losing consciousness.
The University of Colorado College of Nursing and Campus Community Health are holding flu shot clinics in September and October on the Anschutz Medical Campus for students, faculty, staff, and other members of the campus community and their families.
Education Community Faculty Veteran and Military Health
“It’s really important that we come together as a community to support our veterans, and it’s really important that our community understands how to care for them.”
Food trucks, entertainment, and free stuff are taking over Bonfils Circle on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
As a parent with a history of substance use, Britt Westmoreland knows what it’s like to welcome a new baby during a difficult time.
One of the most-anticipated veterans and military healthcare conferences in the Western Region will return to the Anschutz Medical Campus, April 21-23, 2023.
Coloradans rightfully expect their colleges and universities to educate students and address critical needs facing our state. A new collaboration between Fort Lewis College and the University of Colorado not only does both, but is also a unique, cost-effective effort that can significantly impact a regional and national problem.
Kevin Hines’ life certainly should have ended the day he threw himself off San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.
Fortunately, he had a revelation the millisecond he took the jump and lived to tell his story with the mission of educating and inspiring others on what literally pushed him to the edge and what he’s learned through surviving.
Regional Director for Region 8 of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Lily Griego visited Sheridan Health Services on Thursday, Aug. 25. Griego shared ideas with the clinic’s staff and other stakeholders on issues ranging from vaccine hesitancy in rural underserved communities to building a more diverse and inclusive healthcare workforce.
“It was the most exhaustive, exhilarating, creative, awful, collaborative work I’ve ever done.” So says the lead nurse consultant in Aurora Public Schools Health Services after two years of a global pandemic in one of the largest school districts in the state.
Two highly regarded nursing leaders with ties to the University of Colorado College of Nursing are credited with pioneering the widespread adoption of nurse residency programs (NRPs). An article in the Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing paid tribute to the groundbreaking work of Colleen Goode, PhD, RN, FAAN, NEA-BC, and Mary Krugman, PhD, FAAN, NEA-BC, for building what has become a national model that has helped nursing graduates segue to their chosen profession.
A faceless angel with long dark hair glides toward heaven in a sky of blue and green leaving sparks of light in her wake. Hundreds of folded paper cranes in the shape of a flower, poetry, time capsules and musical compositions – comprise an exhibit of the human spirit. The exhibition, Seen and Heard – The Sacred Stories of Pediatric Nurses During the Pandemic, is part of a study that examined what 30 pediatric nurses experienced during 15 of the worst months of COVID-19.
They're exhausted. They dread going to work. Others are retiring early and quitting. Nurses all over the country are burned out. Three years into the pandemic, the toll of working short-staffed, without enough supplies and in crowded hospitals is overwhelming. Many nurses are simply not OK.
Sheila Tann, ND, APRN, CNS, CPNP-CP, found nursing after investigating the characteristics of various healthcare professions. The appeal for her was how nurses work with individuals, families, and communities. Nurses are trained to engage their patients differently from other providers, and for Dr. Tann, that sets them apart. She attests, “Nursing is the perfect combination of science and compassion.”
Whether it’s taking a class, helping the disadvantaged or planning her future, Kiera Connelly likes to dive in deep. Before she started school at the University of Colorado College of Nursing, she worked with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless on the COVID Response Medical team.
Patient Care Community Faculty
When Natalie Newton was a dental student on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, she worried about damaging her hearing as she and other students operated high-pitched handpieces (often referred to as drills) while they practiced fixing teeth.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded the VA Patient Safety Center for Inquiry Suicide Prevention Collaborative (PSCI-SPC) and their community partners, including the University of Colorado College of Nursing, for implementing programs to reduce suicide among thousands of Colorado military veterans, their families and survivors.
The first-ever Partnerships for Veteran & Military Health virtual conference is scheduled for April 23 – 24, 2021. With an emphasis on Inspiring a Community of Care and Connections, the conference includes nationally known speakers, panel discussions on topics ranging from PTSD to suicide awareness/prevention, and poster presentations.
“The nursing student connected so well with my mother that I requested she continue working with her even though a new cohort of students was supposed to take over,” said Natascha Palmer whose mother and father-in-law are both enrolled in the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus program that matches health care students with seniors.
“COVID helped persuade me to take my mother out of a nursing facility and move her into our home with hospice,” said Debbie Mitchell, who transitioned her 96-year-old mother from Anthem Memory Care in Littleton, Colorado to a private home setting in March 2020, just as the pandemic was beginning to hit.
“I love being pregnant. When I say that to most women, they look at me as if I’m crazy,” said expectant mother Abby Zamora. For Zamora who is on her fifth pregnancy, having babies is the “most wonderful experience.” And that’s why she decided to become a surrogate. “I wanted to do this for another family,” said Zamora.
Press Releases Community Faculty
AURORA, Colo. (Sept. 17, 2020) – Knowing where to turn for help is challenging for anyone. For military veterans it can be even more difficult than for the general public. A new resource guide compiled with the help of the Veteran and Military Healthcare Area of Excellence at the University of Colorado College of Nursing will help.
AURORA, Colo. (Sept. 2, 2020) – The University of Colorado College of Nursing and its nurse practitioner-led clinic at Belleview Point will be offering drive-up flu clinics Sept. 23 and Oct. 7.
This is an Op-Ed about Proposition 115. Kate Coleman-Minahan, an assistant professor and adolescent family planning nurse practitioner at the University of Colorado College of Nursing at the Anschutz Medical Campus, breaks down some of the reasons it could be harmful. The views expressed here are her own and not those of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Since George Floyd’s killing at the hands of police on May 25, and the senseless deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and others, the country has been struggling with how to support the Black community while demanding change. One thing is clear – something seems different than all the other protests and events that have preceded it. The protests are larger, more vocal, more frequent, diverse, and persistent.
When Captain Taylor Allen, BSN, RN, arrived in Denver in March for an internship with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) before entering CU Nursing’s Master’s program, she never thought her army experience would be in demand. Boy was she wrong.
Community COVID-19 Faculty Clinics
Our College of Nursing Faculty has been helping local news departments with information regarding the Covid-19 virus. From graduation requirements to cloth masks to federal funding of our nurse-led clinics -- here’s a wrap up of recent news coverage.
When CU Nursing PhD student Brittni Goodwin, MSN, RN, realized there weren’t enough N95 masks for her colleagues at area hospitals, she went to work to get the needed supplies. Like many health care professionals, Goodwin felt the need to help co-workers who were being stretched so intensely during the Covid-19 outbreak. “It’s a bit like survivor’s guilt. I felt I wasn’t doing enough,” said Goodwin.
An addiction recovery pilot program sees an increase of patients during Covid-19 outbreak. The Mountain Medical Road to Recovery clinic is funded through Senate Bill 19-001, which is a pilot program to deliver medication-assisted treatment to victims of the opioid epidemic. In the program, CU Nursing faculty train local nurse practitioners and physician assistants to deliver treatment at three clinical sites in Pueblo and Routt counties. The treatment is an effective approach to treating opioid addiction, combining medication with long-term behavioral therapy.
Press Releases Community Clinics
LONGMONT, Colo. (Feb. 10, 2020) – The University of Colorado College of Nursing’s Center for Midwifery – Longmont (CFM-Longmont) practice is partnering with Mother’s Milk Bank (MMB) as one of the milk bank’s newest human milk donation locations in the Denver metro area, and the first in the city of Longmont. To celebrate, CFM-Longmont will be hosting a kick-off reception at 10 a.m. on Feb. 14 at 2030 Mountain View Avenue, Suite 400, which is open to the public. “This new site allows families in the Longmont and surrounding communities to donate human milk at a convenient location,” said Jessica Anderson, director of midwifery services with CU Nursing.
Note: A kickoff reception for the new donation site will be held at 10 a.m. on Feb. 14 at the Center for Midwifery Longmont, 2030 Mountain View Ave., Suite 400, Longmont. Press Release 2/10/2020
Patients with substance-use or other mental health disorders at CU Nursing’s Sheridan Health Services clinics are bucking a national trend: They’re getting professional help.
While mental health issues strike one out of five U.S. adults each year, only half of those who seek treatment ever follow through on psychiatric referrals.
On April 22, David “Scott” Ferguson died after battling melanoma. Ferguson was 49 and loved life. For him, that revolved largely around skiing, hiking, his gym clients, his dogs, his wife, his son and Jerry Garcia. Ferguson grew so touched by his nursing care before he died that he left behind the Scott Ferguson Memorial Fund. More than $60,000 has been raised so far to support scholarships for University of Colorado College of Nursing students. Ferguson’s goal: to help ensure compassionate care for future patients. The first scholarship will be awarded this spring.
Attacking the opioid epidemic tops the priority list for tomorrow’s medical professionals. Now, thanks to a $450,000 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant, our nurse practitioners can help make a difference as soon as they graduate. Read more, and see what our own Scott Harpin has to say about it.
For Kim Paxton, it was the young father shot in the back of the head after opening the store safe for two masked men. The robbers left with $100.
Patient Care Community Faculty Clinics
Products containing cannabidiol (CBD) have infiltrated the market, including lotions, creams, smoothies, coffee and alcohol. CBD has been touted as a sleep aid, pain remedy and effective treatment for cancer-related side effects. What is CBD and how does it affect you? Is it really a miracle drug or is that just hype?
Allowing a boy’s dream of playing Friday night football, keeping an asthmatic preschooler out of the ER, and guiding a young woman back on track to graduation are all in a day’s work for the Sheridan Health Services staff.
Much like a mother’s belly in the ninth month of pregnancy, the use of nitrous oxide has ballooned since the University of Colorado Hospital joined a small number of U.S. hospitals offering “laughing gas” to its laboring patients in 2014.
Most pregnancies are 40 weeks of weight gain, mood swings, body changes, and fatigue. In rare cases, expectant mothers develop a potentially fatal complication of high blood pressure called HELLP syndrome. It happens in about 1 to 2 of 1,000 pregnancies. Often emerging during the later stages of pregnancy, the condition can also occur shortly after delivery.
Child Advocacy through Clinical Nursing
When asked how she sees herself, Dr. Lynn Howe Gilbert, PhD, CPNP, RNC, FAAN, has said that, even before nurse or teacher, her identity is primarily as a child advocate. She maintains that an important formative experience was a trip to visit many African countries emerging from colonialism with several other students from across the U.S. between her junior and senior years of high school in 1959.
Did you skip your flu shot last year? You are not alone.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that about 30% of people 65 and older chose not to get a flu shot last year. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial vaccination iceberg. Flu is not the only vaccination that older adults are neglecting. According to the CDC, 43% of those 65 and older are not current on tetanus shots, and two-thirds didn’t receive the recommended shingles vaccine.
Press Releases Community Clinics
AURORA, Colo. Aug. 22, 2019) – CU Center for Midwifery Longmont with Centura Health – Longmont United Hospital , a move aimed at ensuring that its families — who span Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties — continue receiving the patient -centered care they expect.
During her 22 years as associate dean of Clinical and Community Affairs, Professor Amy Barton spearheaded the creation of the University of Colorado College of Nursing’s clinical enterprise. The string of health centers target everyone from Anschutz Medical Campus students to the Denver area’s most at-risk populations.
Barton also earned numerous prestigious appointments and awards, wrote a long list of scholarly articles and books and netted the university $8.5 million in grants during that time.
It appears she listened to her parents.
With an armed police officer and grocery cart stuffed with backpacks and suitcases behind him, Scott Harpin snapped on his latex gloves and fished out his supplies from a six-pack cooler.
“Which side?” Harpin asked, as he de-capped a needle. His patient tapped his left arm in response and rolled up his sleeve.
Amanda Repsher vividly recalls watching flight nurses load her husband on board a helicopter. Less than two hours earlier, his own crew’s helicopter had crashed during a failed takeoff, erupting into a ball of flames and scorching nearly all of Dave Repsher’s body.
As a wife, Amanda found the irony chilling. As a critical care nurse, she knew it could mean the difference between life and death.
Community Faculty Alumni Students
The University of Colorado College of Nursing and student nurses are encouraging the community to celebrate the nurse in your life during the month of May. Nurses Week runs from May 6 – May 12, which was the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. CU Nursing students appeared on CBS 4 Saturday morning to showcase the profession of nursing and some of the activities they have planned for the week including a 5K fun run at the Anschutz Medical Campus Sunday, May 5, and community blanket making for patients at Children’s Hospital on May 9th.
A study conducted by Assistant Professor Blaine Reeder, PhD, and co-authored by Catherine Jankowski, PhD, on older women's perceptions of technology found that more active older adult women prefer wearable sensors for themselves and smart home sensors for their older parents.
For burn survivors, Wayne Winkler and Shannon Bennett, participating in Dr. Teresa Connolly’s Nursing Care of the Adult Patient with Complex Care Needs class is a way for nursing students to become better nurses while giving back to those who helped them during recovery. For the students, understanding the physical and mental pain, anguish, and guilt associated with their condition is key to treating patients with compassion and empathy – essential elements in helping patients heal.
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