Witnessing HOPE’s Impact in the Delta

On our last day of our visit to the Mississippi Delta, we revisited the Delta State University’s School of Nursing to observe training in progress by nursing students using a hospital-like simulation lab – a Delta Health Alliance (DHA) program focused on increasing nurse competency in the Delta. We talked with two senior nursing students, who told us what a difference the simulation lab is making in both their training and confidence as nurses.

The students also showed us equipment donated by Project HOPE’s partners, a hospital bed and a Ventriloscope, now being used in the simulation lab.

We visited the Good Samaritan clinic in Greenville, where HOPE donations of supplies and medicines are helping keep the clinic open. There, the staff showed us how they were addressing endocrine problems with technology, using teleconference consultations between health care professionals and patients, in addition to “peer-to-peer” conferences between health care professionals regarding troubling/challenging patient cases. This example is just one of many innovative high-tech programs bringing better health care to the Delta.

We concluded our trip with a visit to a Promise School in Indianola. The school full of preschoolers serves as a bridge program between the nationally recognized Head Start program and kindergarten, ensuring these young children have the strongest literacy skills possible to start their school careers. Dr. Karen Fox, the President and CEO of DHA, is a true believer in literacy being a key to better health in the Delta.

In just a few months of partnering with the DHA, we can already measure some positive results. Our involvement is helping support the DHA in improving health in the Delta. By including our corporate partners and seeking the support of government officials on this visit to the Delta, we look forward to continuing our relationship, and more importantly, improving the health of the 400,000 people who call the Delta home.