Running head: GERM SPREAD AT UTEP 1

Community Problem Report:

Germ Spread at UTEP

Rene B Otero

University of Texas at El Paso

Paul J Vierra Ph. D

RWS 1301
GERM SPREAD AT UTEP 2

Abstract

This paper discusses why the germ spread at UTEP should be addressed by the nursing program.

The first section talks about how children’s health comes into play in the paper. The paper cites

an article that explains that children’s health should be considered its own genre since most of

the health issues of children involve colds and the flu rather than a chronic condition such as

high blood pressure. The paper continues to discuss the affiliation that the hospital has with the

university. Later it changes to describe ways in which germs are transmitted as well as the groups

that are vulnerable the most. It also discusses the factors that make UTEP vulnerable to germ

spread such as the closeness it has to the hospital. Finally, the paper discusses how UTEP

students may also be spreading germs to none other than the groups that are vulnerable to illness

the most.

Keywords: Children’s Health, Germ spread, and UTEP.

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Community Problem Report:

Germ Spread at UTEP

This paper will discuss about the affiliation between the school of nursing and Las

Palmas Del sol Medical Center. How children’s health affect educational establishments and

other alumni. There will be other topics such as the factors that make a person more vulnerable

to the influenza virus. The Nursing program at UTEP should create awareness about germ spread

in campus, given the factors that may easily cause an epidemic in campus such as the

neighboring medical establishments, lack of sanitizer material, and lack of awareness.

About children’s Health and Germ Spread

Children’s health is very important to this topic since most children experience health

issues such as common colds and flu. According to Bush and Iannotti (1990) belief that

children’s health should be considered individually since most of the time the only health

problem’s children experience are not chronic in other words children tend to experience colds

and flu rather than high blood pressure and heart attacks. According to Las Palmas Del Sol

(2018) UTEP is affiliated with them and has recently opened a simulation lab for Nursing

students to better learn about patient care and nursing procedures. The Las Palmas Del Sol offers

pediatrics services. This fact is what this paper will discuss. Since many children visit not only

Las Palmas Del Sol but also the other establishments that surround like the CVS pharmacy, taco

bell, and burger king. It is important to note this since alumni from UTEP also visit these places

as well and interact and touch the same objects as the ill children. This problem could also affect

the child since it may be the UTEP student that is ill and the child could be a las villas

elementary student getting dinner with family. The simulation lab that is located at Las Palmas

could also potentially be a way for both students and patients to spread germs. For example, if a
GERM SPREAD AT UTEP 4

student is ill and is attending the simulation lab on the way it could spread germs by touching

objects with the hand which he used to cover his mouth while sneezing. Also, if a student that is

perfectly fine attend a simulation lab it could carry back the germs that he obtained in the

hospital.

The Use of Hand Sanitizer

The use of hand sanitizers at UTEP should be promoted. It is known that hand sanitizers

is great way to rid hands from bacteria, note that using hand sanitizer is not to be mistaken as a

replacement to traditional hand washing. The use of alcohol based hand sanitizer required in a

medical setting ranges from three to five milliliters according to Macinga, Edmonds, Campbell,

Shumaker, and Arbogast (2013). UTEP Nursing students should be informed and educated into

using hand sanitizer. Since the use of hand sanitizer is very common with medical professions it

could also serve as a way to get the student to get used to the practice. Unfortunately many

sanitizer dispensers around campus are empty and have been that way for a while now. An

example, of this can be seen at the end of the paper on image one. This is a problem since there

are many students that carry and spread germs outside of campus. Some examples of students

that might do that are students who take the bus, eat outside of the campus, and attend class at

the Las Palmas Del Sol simulation lab. The fact that we have students going in and out of the off-

campus simulation lab could be a problem especially during flu season. Given the circumstances

there should be a higher level of awareness on campus but there is not. The lack of awareness is

noticed by the lack of posters reminding students to be cautious when sneezing, to wash their

hands, and empty sanitizer dispensers.

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Low income students.

There are many students at UTEP who come from low income families, and low income

tend to become ill more often than other students. According to Lykens and Jargowsky (2002)

low income students tend to be more vulnerable to illness and cannot afford to get quality

healthcare. Given this information a new problem arises since it is known that UTEP has many

low-income students many of which do not seek medical attention when ill rather wait and hope

for recuperation. This can cause an epidemic on campus since according to DeWitt (2018)

Influenza the flu can be airborne when someone sneezes and does not properly cover their nose

and mouth. As well as the other situations this could affect the public because of the interaction

of the students with off campus establishments such as restaurants, stores, and the simulation lab.

Low income students most of the time take the bus every day which is a way of both catching

and spreading germs. For example, if an ill student touches the pole where passengers who ride

standing up use to hold on then that could possibly cause an epidemic of flu. It could also work

the other way around by the passenger being ill and touching certain things in a bus that many

other people would touch without knowing it is infested with germs.

UTEP could be spreading germs.

The Nursing program at UTEP could be spreading germs more than the public spreads

germs at UTEP. The way alumni at UTEP could be harming the public is by spreading germs in

public places. For example, if all the information above is summarized it can inform the audience

that children, the disabled, and low-income families are the most vulnerable to the flu, and

common colds. Alumni at UTEP may be spreading illness to the disabled by touching objects

around restaurants outside of campus like the taco bell in front of the emergency room and

children’s hospital. UTEP students could also spread illness to children by interacting with them
GERM SPREAD AT UTEP 6

while sick on the bus, or on the way to the off-campus simulation lab. The low-income families

could be affected by the fact that if they become ill the probability of them finding low cost

quality healthcare is very small and could have some negative effects on the family health.

Conclusion

This paper has explained the problem of germ spread at UTEP and why it should be

addressed. This paper discussed how this problem affects children’s health, the University of

Texas at El Paso, and the public. Also, how the problem of germ spread on campus is due to

many factors of location, situation, and time setting. As well as inform which groups are

specifically vulnerable to illness and how it can affect the campus. The paper also discussed how

germs spread and how it could be prevented. The affiliations with UTEP were also a great part of

the paper as well.

IMAGE 1
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Macinga, D. R., Edmonds, S. L., Campbell, E., Shumaker, D. J., & Arbogast, J. W. (2013).

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