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Zale Lipshy University Hospital

Arthur Andersen

University of Texas Southwestern Medical School

By Kimberly Reeves
Photo courtesy of Zale Lipshy University Hospital
May 13, 1999

Visitors to Dallas’ NorthPark Center are doing more than just shopping—they’re discovering a nurse-run health education center that offers everything from basic health information to preventive screenings and testing.

Located in an older Dallas shopping mall known for its flagship Neiman Marcus store, the Health Education Center was opened by Zale Lipshy University Hospital in late 1997. Like almost everyone else who works there, Charlotte Rohr, RN, sees the busy mall storefront as a healthcare center rather than treatment clinic. Rohr calls her time at the Health Education Center, which is staffed and run by registered nurses, "one of the best experiences of my nursing career."

"For me, this really is coming full circle," said Rohr, who was hired when Zale Lipshy University Hospital was opened 19 years ago. "The whole reason I got into nursing was to make a difference helping people, to help people learn something about improving their health."

That can be difficult, if not impossible, under the duties and constraints of the traditional hospital setting, Rohr said. By contrast, the Health Education Center gives top priority to patient education. The four full-time registered nurses on staff provide mammography services, as well as blood pressure and vision checks, cholesterol tests, and glucose screenings. Physicians from Zale Lipshy, which is affiliated with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, offer seminars on wellness topics. And an on-site library and Internet connection provide visitors with immediate information on a variety of ailments and treatments.

Intervention opportunity

"This really is a whole new world for us," said center director Betty Chambers, RN. "By the time a patient reaches the hospital, he’s typically already in the midst of a healthcare crisis. Here, we have the opportunity for some intervention, the chance to provide some education."

The main advantage of the 3,000-square-foot Health Education Center is convenience. The center saw more than 26,000 people last year and performed 8,000 screenings. A total of 3 to 5 percent of the tests found problems that had previously gone undiagnosed.

Many of the center’s visitors are like 71-year-old Marvin Segal, the president of the NorthPark Center mall walkers club. Segal is a heart patient who is committed to his special diet and exercise routine. Most mornings, he stops by the center to get his blood pressure checked.

"My blood pressure is recorded each day by computer, so I can take a printout to my doctor and show him the pattern of my blood pressure since I last saw him," Segal said. "If the doctor sees a problem, he can let me know."

The center staff do recommend that people who receive unusual test results see their own physicians for further consultation. There is no hard sell at the center for Zale Lipshy, Chambers said. The goal is to establish ongoing relationships, not to sell physician services, she said.

Becky McCulley, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer of Zale Lipshy Hospital, said the center is intended as a service to the community. "Most the services we provide are free of charge, or fees are just intended to cover the cost of supplies," McCulley said. "Certainly, this is not a profit-making center for us, by any means."

A growing trend

The Health Education Center is the place where an elderly woman can bring a shopping bag full of prescription medications—prescribed by any number of physicians—and sit down with a nurse to figure out whether any of them are incompatible, said Robert Smith, MBA, president of Zale Lipshy Hospital. Smith, who conceived the idea of the mall-based education center, said the Health Education Center puts the hospital system in a different light.

"I think it shows people that you are trying to do something for the community," said Smith, who opened a similar venture in Missouri. "I think this kind of approach makes a lot of sense because it’s a very inviting environment, more inviting in many ways than a clinic or doctor’s office."

Health education centers are a growing trend in the healthcare community, said Christy Dining, RN, a senior consultant with Arthur Andersen’s healthcare practices group in Houston. Many, if not all, of the centers are nurse driven, Dining said.

"Alternative settings for health care are growing in popularity because that’s what the public is asking for from its healthcare providers," Dining said. "People want health care—more accessible health care—brought to where they live and work. I think we’ll see it as even more of a trend as these hospitals and clinics begin to network and collaborate with each other."