‘Neighborhood Nursing’: This program aims to be a national model for reinventing primary care

BALTIMORE, Md. (InvestigateTV) — A pilot program called Neighborhood Nursing is providing basic primary care outside the traditional clinic setting in East Baltimore, setting up in a church and visiting apartment complexes and homes to reach residents.The program’s services are open to anyone who lives in the area. Those services are free and funded for now largely through philanthropic donations.How the program worksStacye Cooper, a registered nurse with the program, said the goal is to be available in spaces where residents feel comfortable.Cooper focuses on each patient’s physical condition, including blood pressure checks and diabetes management. Terry Lindsay, a community health worker with the program, works to identify and address patients’ social needs, including help with rent, utilities and food.“You might think, well, is that health? But that is health! And the trust comes from showing up over and over and from being in trusted spaces,” said Sarah Szanton.Szanton is dean of