Nursing Students Build Resource Guide for Bordeaux Community

The initiative, conducted in partnership with Rebuilding Together Nashville, focused on identifying and bridging gaps in essential services for residents.

The resulting guide covers critical areas including food assistance, housing stability, medication access, transportation, and opportunities for social connection, the School of Nursing reported.

Beyond the documentation of resources, the students organized community activities designed to bring neighbors together. These events allowed residents to share their personal experiences while learning about the specific tools and services available to them in their own backyard.

This clinical experience serves a dual purpose by integrating social determinants of health into the practical training of future healthcare providers. By working directly within the Bordeaux community, students gain firsthand insight into how living conditions and access to basic necessities directly influence long-term health outcomes and individual well-being.

The project highlights a growing emphasis in medical education on the environmental factors that dictate patient health. While clinical settings focus on treating illness, this rotation forced students to confront the systemic barriers that often precede a hospital visit.

For many residents in underserved urban corridors, a medical diagnosis is only one part of a much larger struggle. Access to reliable transportation can dictate whether a patient attends a follow-up appointment, just as food security can determine the effectiveness of a prescribed nutritional regimen.

By mapping these resources, the students provided a tool to help the community access complex social service systems. This type of intervention moves the needle from reactive care to proactive community support.

The collaboration relied on the specialized expertise of faculty and local non-profit leaders to ensure the information provided was both accurate and actionable. Faculty leader Jade Vergara guided the Master of Nursing (MN) students throughout the duration of the experience.

The School of Nursing expressed gratitude to both Rebuilding Together Nashville and the Bordeaux community for facilitating these meaningful learning opportunities.

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