Community center collaborates with WSU nursing students

PINE ISLAND, Minn. (KTTC) – Miss Angie’s Place is a childcare and learning center promoting creativity and movement for kids. Every week, Winona State University nursing students come into Miss Angie’s Place to teach lessons on living a healthy lifestyle.

It’s part of a practicum course taught by Winona State University Assistant Professor of Nursing Cassandra Narr for students looking to get public health certification.

“By working with Miss Angie’s Place, they get the opportunity to use leadership skills with needs assessments and health promotion and also getting to educate kids in a really fun way,” Professor Narr said.

“Talking about mental and physical health, activities that we should do, meditation, so it’s really neat how they can bring that aspect,” Miss Angie’s Place Executive Director Angie Severson said.

When people think of nursing, they imagine someone working in a hospital, but there are many nurses who choose to work in public health, doing outreach like this program.

“A lot of people, when they think of nursing, they think of just hospital nursing, but actually nursing is so important in public health and within the community. We know that promoting healthy community and doing actually health promotions versus disease or sick care can really benefit communities,” Professor Narr said.

The goal is to create a mentorship program between the kids, students and even Severson herself.

“Have everybody all throughout learn from each other and just continue to build these relationships, getting that mentorship going and just continuing to learn and to grow,” Severson said.

“We know that mentorship for kids is helpful in building resilience. It’s also great for our students, a reserve mentorship type of situation, where they also learn from the kids and gain this valuable experience,” Professor Narr said.

The WSU nursing students will be at Miss Angie’s Place on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during Nature Time and on Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. for the After-School Program.

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