Rho Theta Chapter
Northern Kentucky University

The Northern Kentucky Nursing Research Collaborative (NKNRC) was established in 2005 with the purpose of linking clinical resources of local hospitals and medical practices with the academic resources of Northern Kentucky University (NKU) to advance nursing research. The Collaborative success is attributed to the partnerships with Rho Theta Chapter, Northern Kentucky University and community partners, which included St. Elizabeth Medical Center, St. Luke Hospitals, Riverhills Healthcare, Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department, Health Point Family Care and others. The collaborative has expanded its work with a two-year project continuation grant from the George Renaker, MD Charitable Foundation in the amount of $45,870 in February 2008. The focus of this grant is to include nursing interventions that address the poor health outcomes of Northern Kentucky, the first one concentrating on lead poisoning. Not only does this grant allows for the preparation of nurses who are able to deliver care that is based on research outcomes and scientific inquiry but provides problem-based service learning opportunities to NKU students.