The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing Community Nursing Services Clinic is responding to the changes in the national health care system. Its East St. Louis clinic’s business and care model is evolving to meet the needs of its patients and adopting a name change. Effective immediately, the nurse-managed, primary care clinic in East St. Louis will be the “SIUE WE CARE Clinic.”
“Health care is changing, and the SIUE WE CARE Clinic is changing with it,” said Dr. Anne Perry, interim dean of the SIUE School of Nursing.
Perry emphasized that the mission of the School and the Clinic remains the same – providing affordable primary care, educational and wellness services in St. Clair and Madison counties. However, the Clinic’s leadership recognized the necessity to make changes to prepare for an increase in patients. The name change was given to the Clinic to better reflect the changes and the broad commitment of the Clinic to care, education and wellness.
“The SIUE WE CARE Clinic provides services across an individual’s lifespan that promote health and well-being to people living in the Metro East,” said Dr. Kim White, clinical director of the SIUE We Care Clinic and assistant professor or nursing. “Our services include well-women exams, men’s health, pediatric care for children two-years-old and up, treatment of stable chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, health risk assessments and drug screenings.”
The Clinic was established in 1990 and was formally known as the Community Nursing Services Clinic. It continues its commitment to improving the health of the community by providing comprehensive, evidence-based primary care.
The Clinic’s professional nursing staff consists of advanced practice nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialist faculty. They work with residents, health care providers and agencies to identify health needs in the community, as well as to develop and implement plans to meet those needs. The SIUE WE CARE Clinic also provides educational experiences to undergraduate and graduate students.
The SIUE WE CARE Clinic is open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. It is located on the SIUE East St. Louis Higher Education Campus, 601 James R. Thompson Blvd., Building D, Suite 2015, East St. Louis, Ill. For more information or to make an appointment, call 618-482-6959 or visit siue.edu/nursing/siue-community-nursing-services.shtml.
The SIUE School of Nursing’s fully accredited programs are committed to creating excellence in nursing leadership through innovative teaching, evidence-based practice, quality research, patient advocacy and community service. Enrolling nearly 1,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders in pursuit of shaping the nursing profession and impacting the health care environment. Through expanded programs located on the SIU Carbondale campus and SIU School of Medicine campus, the SIUE School of Nursing is helping to solve the region’s shortage of baccalaureate-prepared nurses and enhance the quality of nursing practice within hospitals and medical centers.