Students were tasked with budgeting funds under the poverty line.

For the third year running, La ­Salle hosted a poverty simulation program in November using the Missouri Action Coalition toolkit. The simulator events gave students and community members the ability to role-play, as a member of a low-income family trying to survive week to week. Everything from single parents trying to care for their children to senior citizens trying to remain self-sufficient on Social Security was covered, based upon information from real individuals living in poverty. The program mandates students go to work, shop for food, pay their rent and utilities, and get their children to school and child care, all while keeping their family and home safe.

Students and staff role-play scenarios as civilians living at or near the poverty line.

“It really is an eye-opening experience for our students from nursing, public health, nutrition, speech, and social work,” said Kathleen Czekanski, Ph.D., R.N., CNE, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. “We’ve expanded the student majors who experience the simulation. The most impactful part is the inclusion of community members who play key roles as community agency representatives.”

Patricia Dillon, Ph.D., R.N., Chair of La ­Salle’s Graduate Nursing Program, leads the simulations. She said, “This perhaps prompted students to rethink how to meet the healthcare needs of those living in poverty, as well as demonstrated the important role of the patient/community on interprofessional healthcare teams. Better understanding the realities facing those they care for will help these future practicioners engage in patient-centered care that leads to improved outcomes.”