Community & Outreach
UWF's Usha Kundu, MD College of Health is a CHNA Partner
Achieve Healthy EscaRosa, an evolution of the former Live Well Partnership, is a collective impact effort whose Mission is to unite and align resources to improve the health and well-being of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties so that everyone can live well and thrive. Funded by partner donations and with University of West Florida serving as the backbone convener, AHER brings together health providers, health departments, the United Way of West Florida and many other non-profit organizations seeking to improve health in our community.
This year, AHER is focused on building a health equity online data dashboard in partnership with Achieve Escambia and the Haas Center as well as completing the every-three-years Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA.)
CHNA Partners
- Ascension Sacred Heart
- Baptist Health Care
- Community Health Northwest Florida
- Florida Department of Health
- Haas Center at UWF
- Healthy Start
- United Way West Florida
- University of West Florida’s Usha Kundu, MD College of Health.
Visit the Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County website to read the full article.
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UWF School of Movement Sciences and Health ECG Free Clinic
Dr. Ludmila Cosio Lima, a professor in UWF's Department of Movement Sciences and Health, has a proven track record of expediting students' learning through hands-on skill building.
In just one example of her expertise, Dr. Cosio Lima has extensive background in electrocardiogram (ECG) instruction.
An ECG is a representation of the electrical activity of the heart muscle as it changes with time. The heart's electrical activity changes are especially important to measure in athletes who will be performing substantial physical activity thus working the heart muscle extensively.
Most students do not learn how to read ECG charts until their 3rd year of Physical Therapy school. Dr. Cosio Lima is setting out to change that for her students.
In 2021, Dr. Cosio Lima was approached by The Andrews Institute. They were hosting a clinic where 1,800 Santa Lusa County High School students who were participating in the athletics program could get their physical exams for free. The exams included ECGs.
Dr. Cosio Lima jumped at the opportunity and soon had 280 of her undergraduate students participating in the historic event. During the clinic, her students performed 20 ECGs per minute, with over 1,300 attendees screened in one day, breaking a U.S. record!
While a hospital visit would have been extremely costly for parents, Dr. Cosio Lima was happy to help ensure the high school athletes received the exams free of charge. "I'm all about paying it forward. You see all the parents being grateful. We are doing this as a benefit so these kids can play sports and be safe!"
Dr. Cosio Lima and her students are excited to participate in conducting the exams annually. While the Andrews Institute event helps the community, it also benefits her students. "The kids (her students) benefit because they are taking care of a human being and applying what they are learning in the classroom. Things like this helps students apply for and get into graduate programs. It also prepares students for certifications that will help them get jobs out of college."
Psychology Students Support Victims of Trafficking
In the spring semester of 2022, five UWF students, Renee Shomaker, Raleigh Gharbi, Mary Hunt, Savannah Burtschell and Dalia Fort-Frazee, banded together to help Set Free Refuge. This organization provides young women who are aging out of foster care transitional housing for up to one year in a safe, home-like environment.
The UWF psychology students focused on helping furnish homes of the individuals who benefit from Set Free Refuge.
This initiative is a part of Dr. Jane Halonen’s Positive Psychology course at UWF. During this course, students have a major project option in which they conduct a service learning project with the target population of their choice Halonan said, “Students came away from this project with a much keener appreciation of how responsive the local community can be toward people in need. As far as I know, they did not have direct interactions with trafficking survivors since the job they opted to do was providing furniture and decor for a house where trafficking victims would live, but that didn't keep them from feeling very connected with students.”
The scope of projects Dr. Halonen’s psychology students work on throughout the year is truly impressive.
“It is fairly typical for any Positive Class to contribute between 350 and 400 hours of service per semester to the Pensacola community. It is one of my favorite challenges to offer my students,” said Dr. Halonen.
Great job, Argos! Keep up the good work.
SNA Group is Hosting an Information Board at John C. Pace Library About Vaccinations
Student Nursing Association is currently hosting an information board at John C. Pace Library about vaccinations in order to educate and answer questions that students might have regarding this topic.
John C. Pace Library is located at Building 32 on the UWF campus.
UWF Active Minds Encourages Mental Health
The University of West Florida and Pensacola State College have incorporated a national nonprofit organization onto their campuses called Active Minds that is helping to fill some of the gaps left by other groups.
Active Minds strives to be an on-campus advocate for mental health, incorporating open discussions and activities to help keep and maintain a healthy mind. UWF incorporated an Active Minds Chapter last fall, and the two schools often collaborate on wellness events and activities together.
Both schools hold a weekly meeting to discuss future planning, and allow for discussions among members. The weekly meetings are not those of a group therapy session or a self help discussion and are centered more around raising awareness for the mental health issues facing the community and the country.
Visit the Pensacola News Journal to read the full article.
Escambia County School District Career Academy Advisory Council Meetings for 2021-2022
The 2021-2022 school year has been off to a very eventful start, and Escambia County School District (ECSD) Workforce Education is committed to continuing to provide meaningful career education for all of our students.
The primary purpose of the advisory committee is to assist educators in establishing, operating, and evaluating career academies and career and technical education programs which serve the needs of students and business and industry and to provide expertise related to your careers.
UWF Public Health and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast
In Summer 2021, the Department of Public Health organized stroke educational sessions targeting third-grade students at the Boys and Girls Club in Pensacola. The overarching goal of these sessions was to provide elementary school students with knowledge about stroke signs and symptoms, as well as what to do when witnessing stroke events. Students engaged in these sessions through a series of fun and age-appropriate activities.
