Health Needs Assessment of Plain Populations in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

We performed a health needs assessment for three Plain communities in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania from a random sample of households. Compared with the general population of adults, Plain respondents were more likely to be married, to have children, and they had large families; they were more likely to drink well water, to eat fruit and vegetables, to drink raw milk, and to live on a farm. Plain respondents had better physical and mental health and were less likely to have been diagnosed with various medical conditions compared with the general population of adults in Lancaster County but Old Order Mennonite respondents were more likely to have been diagnosed compared with Old Order Amish respondents. Plain respondents usually have a regular doctor and often receive preventive care but Old Order Mennonite respondents were more likely to have a regular doctor, to receive preventive care, to have had their children vaccinated, and to receive routine dental care compared with Old Order Amish respondents. Despite their relative geographic and genetic isolation, and despite the small, relative differences noted, the health of Plain communities in Lancaster County is similar to that of other adults in the County.

Using the Omaha System as a framework to demonstrate the value of nurse managed wellness center services for vulnerable populations.

Nurse managed wellness centers (NMWCs) are academic service settings where baccalaureate nursing students gain rich community health clinical experience while providing valuable wellness services to a vulnerable population. The Omaha System provides a framework for generating meaningful data that is essential for describing the value of NMWCs. A retrospective study of Omaha System assessments from 9 NMWCs provides descriptive data about the characteristics of the patient population and patient outcomes in relationship to knowledge, behavior, and status. Patients showed significant improvement for the overall sample and for 6 important health problems. These findings support anecdotal data about the value of NMWC for a vulnerable population. Research for this article was funded in part by a grant from HighMark.