You can talk about love and compassion all day, but if you really want to experience it first hand, spend a few hours at the Augsburg Central Nursing Center at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis. The Nursing Center, a collaboration of Augsburg College, Central Lutheran Church, and the Urban Communities of Minneapolis, offers people from the community of Minneapolis and from the congregation of Central Lutheran Church an opportunity to meet with a nurse, discuss their health concerns, and get linked to other resources if needed.

As an educational endeavor, the center offers nursing students unique opportunities to learn about the needs and strengths of homeless people who are often invisible in society and marginalized in health care.

The center, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, is based on a nursing model, which teaches health promotion and helps people take control of their own lives, rather than a medical model, which is focused on diseases and curing. Professor emerita Bev Nilsson, retired chair of the Nursing Department and Rev. Dr. Bill Miller, retired associate pastor at Central Lutheran Church, worked closely in establishing the center, but it wasn't an easy task

The Beginning

In the early 1980s, nursing centers, which are independent nursing practices, were just starting to get press. Nilsson, then chair of the nursing department, was looking for a different clinical site where Augsburg nursing students could practice, to see what a difference nursing in itself can make.

She spent a lot of time searching for an ideal location for a nursing center, looking at places from rooms in the nursing department at Augsburg to various sites in the neighborhood. Nilsson said she even considered at one time buying a bus and having a mobile nursing center, but there was always a glitch.

While students and faculty were excited about the potential of a new type of practice and educational experience, Nilsson said she was about ready to give up because she couldn't find a location. That's when Miller entered the picture.

Miraculous turn of events

"It was almost a miraculous turn of events," Nilsson said. "It was like God was saying you need to be in that place."

That place was Central Lutheran Church. Several factors came together to make the Nursing Center a reality. Miller and Rev. Steve Cornils, then pastor at Central Lutheran, were talking about the "visions" they had for the church, and Cornils and Charles Anderson, president of Augsburg, were having discussions about ways the church and College could work more closely together. This discussion led to Nilsson's search for a nursing center site, and as they say, the rest is history. Miller got in touch with Nilsson, and the two worked closely in establishing the center at Central Lutheran.

As Nilsson recently said at the 10th anniversary celebration, "As people were led to Bethlehem, we were led here, and are delighted to be here."

Nilsson said word spread about the nursing center and "the abundance flowed down." Equipment and supplies started showing up at the center. When it was known that they were going to hand out hygiene supplies, items were left in shopping bags-full outside the door. With that and a $15,000 start-up grant from Fairview Foundation, they were ready to open.

"Another miracle," Nilsson said, "is that we have never run out of everything, thanks to generous donations. And some days," she added, "we give away as many as 100 pairs of socks."
As word of the center spreads, the demand for service is increasing. "The good news is," Nilsson said, "many people use the center. The bad news, many people must use the center."

One of the greatest gifts the nurses and volunteers give to the people who come to the center, is the gift of listening. Miller said the nurses accept the people as they are, they always listen and never turn their backs on anyone.

"You don't have to have anything physically wrong with you to go to the center," Miller said. "To some, it's just a place to go where someone will listen to them, which is a rare commodity, especially in today's world."

Nilsson added that they, too, receive a gift from the people who come to the center—the gift of trust. It takes a while to build that trust to the point where people who come will open up to the center's staff.

Students making a difference

Nilsson said she hopes the nursing students come away with a heightened appreciation for nursing—that different nursing practices can make a difference in people's lives, and that you don't always need a pill to heal. As a matter of fact, they do not give out medications or prescriptions, rather vouchers, which can be turned in at a designated local drugstore. These vouchers are very specifically written out, Nilsson said. The nurses never prescribe an over-the-counter medication, rather write down the symptoms and leave it to the pharmacist to recommend a proper treatment.

She said she also hopes the students come away with a greater appreciation and understanding for what it is like to live in poverty, what it takes to survive on the streets, and for the hopes, dreams, and fears these people also have.

Students see the opportunity to work at the center as a valuable addition to their education. Nilsson said it can be "a big eye opener" to many students.

Eric Eggler, second year nursing student in the Augsburg Rochester program, said his experience in working at the Nursing Center has given him a "better understanding of life, and how much he, as an individual, can do to change things for others."

"I feel like a better nurse for my experiences," Eggler said. "I can honestly say that it really is the simple things we do as nurses that patients remember. Just offering a warm smile and a polite hello without judging can make the difference in someone's day."

—Judy Petree is media relations manager.