Dr. Anne Broussard, a professor in the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, received the Award of Excellence in Community Service from the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.
DR. ANNE BROUSSARD She was honored for her significant and long-standing work educating pregnant adolescents in Lafayette through a unique service learning program. The award was presented at AWHONN's annual convention.
Broussard, coordinator of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at UL Lafayette, started the Resource Center for Young Parents-to-Be in the Fall of 1997 to address the lack of knowledge many new and expecting parents had about children's needs, development and care, which can contribute to child abuse and neglect.
The Resource Center is a service learning program for senior nursing students at the university. Each semester, students enrolled in the maternal-child nursing course are given faculty guidance and the resources they need to educate pregnant adolescents about parenting skills, prenatal care and the prenatal period.
The program has been an enormous success. Parents who have participated report that the program has been critical to the health of their children. Participating students have an invaluable and unique learning experience and the opportunity to use critical thinking and reasoning skills in their work.
Each year, AWHONN presents its Award of Excellence in Community Service to an AWHONN member who has demonstrated commitment to promoting perinatal and women's health through community outreach.
" This innovative program speaks to Anne's leadership and her deep sense of caring," said AWHONN Executive Director Karen Tucker Thomas. "She saw a serious need in the community and found funding for and developed a program that benefits not only the community, but provides her nursing students with important experiences and critical skills that will benefit them throughout their careers."
Broussard holds a Diploma in Nursing from the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi and a Doctor of Nursing Science from Louisiana State University Medical Center School of Nursing in New Orleans. She also completed a post-graduate program in nurse-midwifery at the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing in Hyden, Kentucky.
A leader among the nation's nursing associations, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) serves and represents more than 22,000 health care professionals in the U.S., Canada and abroad. AWHONN members are committed to delivering superior health care to women and newborns in hospitals, in home health and ambulatory care settings. AWHONN members' rich diversity of skills and experience make AWHONN the voice for women's health and neonatal nursing. AWHONN received a 2005 Associations Advance America Award from the American Society of Association Executives for Promoting Health Among Hispanic Women through Toda Mujer, a Spanish language publication distributed free of charge to over 500,000 women through their nurses.