Culturally Anchoring an Intervention for Gender-Based Violence.

Haitians continue to rebuild following the devastating earthquake in 2010, as many also strive to recover and heal from associated horrific events. Immediately following the earthquake, domestic and international agencies reported dramatic increases in violence against women and girls in this small Caribbean nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. In this article we highlight one segment of a situational analysis used as groundwork for developing an intervention to address gender-based violence (GBV). We sought to rapidly identify existing and needed resources and services for internally displaced women and girls in Haiti and to facilitate an immediate and sustainable response. During an eight-day period, we convened focus groups in Port au Prince. Displaced women and older girls, directors of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), healthcare providers and administrators, and community youth leaders participated in the focus groups. Findings from these focus groups illuminate the multiple influences of GBV on displaced women and girls. Gaps, strengths, and limitations of existing resources, capacities, systems, and services for internally displaced Haitian women and girls were identified. In addition, factors that could potentially support or hinder effective implementation of preventive and response interventions were revealed. Our findings provided a foundation and structure for developing a culturally- specific educational and safety plan which was used in Haiti following the earthquake and continues to have relevance for use, today.

Developing a clinical research associate training program at Dillard University: the impact of collaboration.

In 2010 Dillard University and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans collaborated to secure a five year-grant from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health to establish a Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center (MHHDRC) located on the campus of Dillard University. The MHHDRC is the first Federally funded Center of Excellence in the state of Louisiana. Three cores of the Center operate to achieve its mission. One core includes a clinical research associate (CRA) training program. The major goal of the program is to increase the number of minority CRAs in the state of Louisiana, especially in New Orleans and, ultimately promote greater participation and retention of minorities in clinical trials research. This article discusses the initiation of the CRA training program, its planning, community outreach, implementation, integration of multiple resources and role of collaboration in the development of the MHHDRC including accomplishments, challenges and future plans.

Implementing a multidisciplinary disaster simulation for undergraduate nursing students.

A liberal-arts-based undergraduate nursing program engaged in curriculum enhancement activities that led to the implementation of a disaster simulation for 81 multidisciplinary undergraduate students. A pretest/posttest design was used to determine the effectiveness of preparation for the simulation. Nursing students in three levels of the program received didactic preparation in disaster preparedness and were assigned to five different simulation response teams. One-way ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences for pretest and posttest scores, p = 0.05. An evaluation of student performance indicated that five of the eight nursing students assigned to the disaster site correctly triaged 81.2 percent of the victims; all eight nursing students assigned to the emergency department correctly reassessed the victims. Classroom didactic content, followed by a simulated learning experience, was found to be an effective teaching strategy for preparing undergraduate nursing students in disaster preparedness.

Leadership--the journey continues.

A nurse administrator describes how Project LEAD helped her to assume new leadership responsibilities following the destruction of the campus during hurricane Katrina. Due to the disaster the school's traditional structure disappeared and many questioned whether the university could continue to function. The university had to create a new organizational structure in response to the crisis, and administrators had to assume new roles in addition to their traditional roles in order to ensure the university's survival. The four organizational frames by Bolman and Deal and the teachings of Dr. Height on leadership are discussed extensively, and the author illustrates how Project LEAD served as a guide for the administrator as she assumed new responsibilities during this unprecedented crisis.

Barriers and Facilitators to Engaging Communities in Gender-Based Violence Prevention following a Natural Disaster.

Humanitarian workers in disaster settings report a dramatic increase in gender-based violence (GBV). This was true after the 2010 Haiti earthquake when women and girls lost the relative security of their homes and families. Researchers from the United States Virgin Islands and the United States mainland responded by collaborating with Haitian colleagues to develop GBV-focused strategies. To start, the research team performed a situational analysis to insure that the project was culturally, ethically, and logistically appropriate. The aim of this paper is to describe how the situational analysis framework helped the researchers effectively approach this community. Using post-earthquake Haiti as an exemplar, we identify key steps, barriers, and facilitators to undertaking a situational analysis. Barriers included logistics, infrastructure, language and community factors. Facilitators included established experts, organizations and agencies. Researchers in such circumstances need to be respectful of community members as experts and patient with local environmental and cultural conditions.

Incorporating cultural diversity in nursing care: an action plan.

This article examines the context of culture from the perspective of the increase in immigration and concomitant growth of diversity within the United States. It proposes that nurses who deliver culturally competent care are brokers of three cultures: their own; the health care system; and the client. The mechanism for creating approaches to care that utilize this concept is the nursing process. A culture-specific assessment can be achieved using the explanatory model of illness. The inadequacies of some frequently used strategies such as nursing diagnosis are also discussed with suggested changes.