Clinical Resources

Yale School of Nursing places students in close to three hundred clinical settings. The following highlights some of our major clinical partners.

Yale New Haven Health System

The combined facilities of the Yale School of Medicine, the Yale School of Nursing, the Yale School of Public Health, the Yale Child Study Center, the Yale New Haven Hospital, and the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven constitute the Yale New Haven Health System. The Connecticut Mental Health Center is closely affiliated with this complex. In affiliation with Yale University, and through delivery networks in Bridgeport and Greenwich, the larger Yale New Haven Health System provides comprehensive, cost-effective patient care; educates health professionals; and advances clinical care.

The Yale School of Medicine offers courses leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine. In addition, there are programs for postdoctoral training in the basic medical sciences and the clinical disciplines. A Physician Associate program and a Physician Assistant Online program are also offered, which award a Master of Medical Science (Physician Associate) degree. Clinical facilities for instruction are available at Yale New Haven Health System, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and at various community hospitals in Connecticut with which the School is affiliated. The School of Medicine provides opportunity for students in nursing to extend their knowledge both through formal courses of study and informally through clinical conferences and rounds, where problems of patient care are discussed by doctors, nurses, and other health professionals. Dean, Robert Alpern, M.D.

The Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) provides leadership to protect and improve the health of the public through innovative research, policy analysis, and education that draw upon multidisciplinary scholarship from across the graduate and professional programs at Yale. In accordance with the School’s mission and goals, YSPH serves local, national, and international communities by developing and demonstrating solutions to major public health problems and promoting leadership in public health, both at home and around the world. YSPH offers courses leading to the degree of Master of Public Health. Dean, Sten H. Vermund, M.D., Ph.D.

The Yale Child Study Center is an academic, clinical, and research center devoted to improving the understanding and treatment of children with psychiatric and developmental problems. The center functions as the Department of Child Psychiatry for the School of Medicine and Yale New Haven Hospital. It has three major missions: to increase knowledge about children from infancy through adolescence using systematic research, to educate professionals concerned with children’s development, and to provide clinical services to children with psychiatric and developmental disorders and to their families. To achieve these goals, the center faculty and staff comprise professionals from the major disciplines concerned with children, including child and adolescent psychiatrists, psychologists, child psychiatric nurses, social workers, speech pathologists, educators, pediatricians, pediatric nurse practitioners, child psychoanalysts, geneticists, public health planners, and lawyers. Engaged in a broad range of research programs, educational activities, consultation, and service provision, these professionals educate the next generation of professionals for leadership roles throughout the United States and abroad.

The combined service, education, and research mission of the center fosters an environment in which students can further their interest in child development and contribute to the field of developmental psychology. Collaboration with the University occurs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

The Outpatient Clinic offers direct mental health services to children from birth to age eighteen at the Child Study Center and in school-based clinics in New Haven public schools. There are several specialty clinics that provide consultation for children with tic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and developmental disorders, and there is a psychopharmacology consultation service. The Outpatient Clinic provides school-based mental health services in inner-city schools and walk-in immediate-access service in the clinic. The Yale Children’s Psychiatric Inpatient Service, a collaborative program of Yale New Haven Hospital and the Child Study Center, provides inpatient and partial hospital care for children between the ages of four and fourteen. Community-based child and adolescent mental health services include the Family Support Service for vulnerable children and families; in-home psychiatric services; and the Child Development and Community Policing Program, a collaboration between the Child Study Center and the New Haven Department of Police Services to serve children exposed to violence and other trauma. Director, Linda C. Mayes, M.D.

Yale New Haven Hospital Founded in 1826 as Connecticut’s first and the nation’s fifth hospital, today Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), affiliated with Yale University Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health, ranks among the premier medical centers in the nation. The Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, which opened in 1993, features new maternity facilities and the most comprehensive pediatric services between Boston and New York. Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven—a partnership between YNHH, Yale School of Medicine, and the nationally designated Yale Cancer Center—opened in fall 2009 and consolidated the inpatient and outpatient cancer services into one facility. There are also eleven Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Centers at convenient locations throughout the region, delivering high-quality cancer care in the community.

Both an academic medical center hospital and a community hospital, Yale New Haven Hospital provides primary and specialized care in three inpatient pavilions and offers more than ninety medical and surgical specialty services, including anesthesiology, organ transplantation, cardiology, psychiatry, newborn special care, and geriatric assessment.

In September 2012, YNHH acquired the assets of the Hospital of Saint Raphael, located on Chapel Street in New Haven and now named Yale New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael Campus. This integration allows YNHH to provide the region with more coordinated, comprehensive care. The YSN Midwifery Service is located on the Saint Raphael Campus.

Yale New Haven Hospital is the primary clinical campus for the Yale School of Nursing. There are many joint appointments between the staff of the nursing service and the faculty of the nursing school who collaborate closely in the education of students and improvement of patient care. Yale New Haven Hospital’s commitment to excellence in nursing care attracts highly qualified nurses to its staff, many of whom serve as role models to the rest of the staff and nursing students who use the clinical facilities of the hospital. The hospital is also the flagship hospital of the Yale New Haven Health System, a fully integrated provider of comprehensive health care to individuals, families, and employees of large and small businesses. In addition, as a strong regional provider network, currently composed of Bridgeport, Connecticut; Greenwich, Connecticut; Westerly, Rhode Island; and Yale New Haven hospitals, the system includes relations with insurance companies, managed care companies, physician practices, and employers throughout the state. Chief Executive Officer, Marna P. Borgstrom, M.P.H.; President, Richard D’Aquila; Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Ena Williams, M.B.A., R.N., CNEP; Chief Nursing Executive, Beth Beckman, D.N.Sc.

The Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC) is an urban community mental health center, owned by the State of Connecticut and operated by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in partnership with Yale University Department of Psychiatry. Founded in 1966, the CMHC has a long tradition of serving disadvantaged persons with serious illness from diverse cultural backgrounds. The center provides innovative services and solutions to challenging problems of patient care, drawing on research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of behavioral disorders.

CMHC treats individuals suffering from severe and persistent psychosis, depression, anxiety, and addictions (including alcoholism, cocaine, and gambling), as well as those with coexisting mental health and addiction problems. Several treatments in either an inpatient or an outpatient setting are available. Special clinics include the Hispanic Clinic (for Spanish-speaking individuals) and a clinic in West Haven that offers services to children and their families. The center also runs distinct outreach programs for individuals who are homeless, at risk for mental illness, of involved with the criminal justice system.

In addition, the center is committed to educating the next generation of behavioral health professionals, who will not only care for the seriously ill but also continue the missions of education and research into the nature and treatment of serious mental and addictive disorders.

The organization and activities of the Nursing Department reflect the integration of the clinical care and academic dimensions of nursing. This integration is achieved through joint appointments with faculty of the Yale School of Nursing.

Nurses practice in a range of patient care settings in the center, providing services to individuals, groups, and families, as well as attending to community-wide mental health concerns. Chief Executive Officer, Michael Sernyak, M.D.; Director of Nursing, Anjana Sharma, R.N.

Other Clinical Resources

The Connecticut Hospice offers a specialized health care program for terminally ill patients (adults and children) and their families. The combination of medical, emotional, and psychosocial patient/family needs is met by the coordinated care of members of several disciplines: physicians (including a psychiatrist); nurses; social workers; clergy; pharmacists; financial adviser; arts, bereavement, and dietary consultants; and both professional and lay volunteers. The caregiving team is available to patients and families in the Home Care and Inpatient programs. Hospice includes family members in the unit of care to help them through the time of illness and bereavement. Hospice Home Care Services are available in Fairfield, New Haven, Middlesex, and Hartford counties; inpatient care is available for all state residents at the Connecticut Hospice in Branford. Any physician from the state may refer a patient for inpatient care or home care services. The Connecticut Hospice is a clinical model for national replication, and the John D. Thompson Hospice Institute for Education, Training, and Research is a national education center for health professionals from all disciplines.

Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center, established in 1968, is a community-oriented family health service that provides comprehensive care to the people in the New Haven area. The center also operates four satellite clinics: Dixwell Health Center, which specifically serves the Dixwell, Newhallville, and West Rock areas; Women’s Health Services; the West Haven Health Center; and the Community Health Connection in Ansonia, serving the Lower Naugatuck Valley.

The center’s programs are supported by federal grants, patient fees, third-party payments, private donations, foundation grants, and contracts-for-service.

There is emphasis on the total family health needs with comprehensive medical, dental, psychosocial, nursing, and other ancillary services provided by a team composed of professionals and community residents trained as health workers. The intent is to allow the health professional to deal more efficiently and effectively with the health care needs of the people to be served. Programs include the Young Parents Outreach Program; school-based clinics at five elementary and middle schools; a homeless health care project, an AIDS outreach project, and a twenty-nine-bed medical detoxification center; a comprehensive perinatal care program; an outpatient drug and alcohol treatment program; a public housing primary care project; and a day treatment program for homeless substance abusers. Chief Executive Officer, Michael Taylor

Fair Haven Community Health Center is a community-initiated and community-controlled health center serving the predominantly ethnic neighborhood of Fair Haven. Developed along the lines of the free clinic model in 1971, the Fair Haven center strives to provide health care in a congenial and personalized setting to 10,000 patients through an interdisciplinary team of doctors, nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives, social service, and community health workers. This includes prenatal and family planning services, general medical and pediatric care, preventive health education, language translation, counseling, and community outreach. Center funding comes from patient fees and a variety of private, government, and third-party reimbursement sources. In addition to its main facility, the center operates a satellite for geriatric patients at an elderly housing complex and five school-based clinics. The Fair Haven Center is located in a health professional shortage area. Chief Executive Officer, Suzanne Lagarde, M.D., M.B.A., FACP

The Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System is one of the outstanding Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers nationwide with quality clinical services and innovative research programs. The two VA hospitals (West Haven and Newington) merged in 1995 to form VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Several VA Connecticut specialized programs are recognized nationally and regionally. These include the Eastern Blind Rehabilitation Service, one of four national programs providing extensive rehabilitation services to blind veterans enabling them to gain and maintain their independence. The Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Center is a joint project with Yale School of Medicine, and Single-Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT) provides state-of-the-art imaging for medical care and research in biology, psychiatry, cardiology, and oncology. VA Connecticut also encompasses the Geriatric Rehabilitation Extended Care Service, Substance Abuse Treatment Program, National Centers for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Alcoholism Research, Schizophrenia Research, and a comprehensive cancer center. Additionally, clinical services include epilepsy treatment, cardiac rehabilitation, cardiac surgery, geriatric evaluation, respite care, and home-based primary care. Currently, VA Connecticut is a leader nationally in the application of home telemonitoring of patients in the home-based primary care program. VA Connecticut operates an Ambulatory Care Center at the West Haven campus and the Ambulatory Care Center of Excellence at the Newington campus. There are six community-based outpatient clinics located in Danbury, New London, Stamford, Waterbury, Willimantic, and Winsted. Director, Gerald Culliton, M.P.A., FACHE

The Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut is a licensed, nonprofit agency dedicated to providing home health and community services. The agency meets all state and federal requirements and is accredited by Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP), a subsidiary of the National League for Nursing. The agency developed and sponsors the Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing, a community-wide nursing recognition program. It is qualified to provide care for patients covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and other third-party payers. Founded in 1904, the VNA of South Central Connecticut offers a comprehensive array of programs and services in New Haven, Fairfield, and Middlesex counties. With its staff of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, rehabilitative therapists, medical social workers, and home health aides, the agency provides: adult care of the ill, antepartum and postpartum care, asthma care, behavioral health, advanced cardiac care, diabetes management, geriatric care, high-risk maternal and newborn care, HIV/AIDS home care, home infusion therapy, oncology care, pediatric home care, and rehabilitation therapy services including physical, occupational, and speech therapies. Specialty practices include PICC and midline catheter placement and care, central line catheter care, dementia consultation and assessments, EKG monitoring (12 lead), nutrition counseling, pain management, pulse oximetry reading, respiratory care, wound and ostomy care. Among the community services provided by the VNA of South Central Connecticut are: Healthy Families CT, HIV/AIDS caregiver workshops, home safety assessments, flu clinics, blood pressure screenings, and well-child clinics. The agency offers an emergency response system, Health Watch. Private duty care is provided through the agency’s affiliate, CareSource, Inc.

VNA Community Healthcare is a state-licensed, Medicare/Medicaid-certified agency dedicated to providing a full range of health care services in the home and community. An interdisciplinary team of professionals provides in-home management and coordination of health care, including skilled nursing; physical, speech, and occupational therapy; home health aide service; homemakers; medical social work; and medical nutrition therapy provided by a registered dietitian. Specialty programs include cardiac rehabilitation with home telemonitoring, behavioral health, home infusion therapy, maternal/child health, and early maternity discharge. Health promotion programs include adult health guidance clinics, well-child clinics, and flu and pneumonia clinics. VNA Community Healthcare delivers home visits to patients throughout New Haven County and the Connecticut shoreline. President and Chief Executive Officer, Janine Fay, R.N., M.P.H.