ASCC Nursing Students Offering Free Health Services

By James Kneubuhl, ASCC

Published on April 23, 2021

The Nursing Program at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) includes community outreach components such as the student nurses volunteering to assist at LBJ Hospital, as well as activities where they take their services directly to the public. This week, the ASCC student nurses will offer free health services on both Tutuila and Manu’a. The first event, which they have named “Highway to Health,” takes place this Wednesday, April 28th, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Territorial Administration of Aging (TAOA) building at Lion’s Park.

ASCC Nursing Program Director Lele Ah Mu said the “Highway to Health” event will involve all three levels of student nurses, who are studying to be Registered Nurses (RN), Practical Nurses (PN), or Nurses Aides. Sixteen participants from the in-progress Caregiver Training, offered by the Nursing Department and funded by TAOA, will also participate. The combined nursing students and caregiver trainees will provide health screenings focusing on blood pressure, glucose, height and weight, and pulse and temperature. They will also offer health teachings to familiarize the public with information about COVID-19, Diabetes, and high blood pressure. Anyone in the public is welcome to receive these services, and to keep the mood upbeat the nursing students will also offer light refreshments and will hold a raffle.

On the day after the “Highway to Health” event, the seven nursing students in the Practical Nursing section of the program will depart for Ta’u, Manu’a, where they will spend a week providing free health screenings and sharing information at locations to include the Ta’u Dispensary in Ta’u Village, Faleasao Elementary School, Faleasao Village, Fitiuta Elementary School, Fitiuta Village, and Manu’a High School. At most of the locations they will visit, the nurses will give health teachings on COVID-19, including an explanation of the available vaccines and their possible side effects. They will also collect data on Manu’a residents’ vital signs. For their visit to the elementary schools and high school, their data collection will include the number of teachers vaccinated. At Manu’a High School, they will include an overview of the ASCC Nursing Program for students who may have an interest in the field. While Ah Mu will not be able to join the nursing students to Ta’u, accompanying them in a supervisory capacity will be Ms. Taufauomalo Tuimalealliifano, RN, herself a graduate of the ASCC Nursing Program.

Ah Mu expressed satisfaction at the dedication and professionalism all of the ASCC nursing students have demonstrated in preparing for these two events. “They’ve all contributed to the organization of our Highway to Health, and they are ready to offer the services and share the information they’ve prepared,” she said. “We hope the public will take advantage of this free outreach event.” She also credited the PN students for their additional preparation leading up to their week-long visit to Ta’u.  “The PN students look forward to serving the people of Ta’u, and gaining the experience of sharing our knowledge with a community that does not have access to the same resources we do here on Tutuila,” said Ah Mu.

For more information on the “Highway to Health” event or the subsequent PN students’ visit to Manu’a, contact the ASCC Nursing Department through the College’s main switchboard at 699-9155. More information on the Nursing Program can be found on the College’s website at: www.amsamoa.edu.