CSUSB Palm Desert Campus nursing instructor, Diane Vines, received the Alma Gault Award for Public Service from Vanderbilt University, her alma mater.

The award was given for her dedication to caring for underserved populations and for her work as founder and director of the CSUSB Nursing Street Medicine Program, which provides free healthcare services to individuals in the community through nurse and medical clinics, serving people experiencing homelessness and vulnerable populations in the Coachella Valley.

This November, the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) honored recipients of the 2023 Alumni Awards, a group of nurses and friends who go to great lengths to support communities, education and health equity.

VUSN Alumni Awards are the highest awards given by the school. Nominations open each spring, and recipients are chosen by the VUSN Alumni Association Board. Honorees are recognized during Vanderbilt’s Reunion each fall.

Vines credits the students she works with for much of her program’s success and says that she is thankful to be able to help them learn and to help support patient care. She helps nursing students better understand vulnerable populations through conversations and empathy, collaborates and coordinates efforts across more than 30 service organizations to improve care and reduce duplicate efforts.

“This award is only possible because I work with the most wonderful students who provide compassionate, empathic care to the most vulnerable people in the Coachella Valley,” said Vines. “They know the clients by name, remember personal details about their lives and needs, look them in the eye and care for their feet with foot soaks, recognizing that unhoused people walk an average of ten miles a day.”

Through the CSUSB Nursing Street Medicine Program, nursing students triage patients, provide health assessments and assist with medication management. Students build communication skills and experience assessing patients’ needs.

Visit the CSUSB Nursing Street Medicine webpage for more information about the program.

About PDC: The CSUSB Palm Desert Campus offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees, teaching credentials and certificates, and plays a vital role in educating the region’s growing population.

For more information about the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, contact Mike Singer in the Office of Strategic Communication at msinger@csusb.edu or (760) 341-2883, ext. 78107, or visit the PDC website at www.csusb.edu/pdc.