| Course | NU 655 Foundations of Public Health Nursing |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 5 |
| Paper type | Service inventory and referral file |
| Length | About 530 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | MSN Public Health Nursing |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NU 655 Unit 5
Service Inventory and Referral File: Getting a Child Under Three to Well-Child Care and Vaccines in One Rural County
Student Name
Department of Nursing, Herzing University
NU 655: Foundations of Public Health Nursing
Instructor Name
February 19, 2026
Service Inventory and Referral File: Getting a Child Under Three to Well-Child Care and Vaccines in One Rural County
Purpose and How the File Was Built
The need: a family with a child under three in the composite rural county needs to reach well-child visits and vaccines. The upstream trace found that distance, lack of transport, weekday-only clinic hours, hourly work, and one clinic's lack of free vaccines keep children from second-year visits. Before proposing any new service, this file records what families can already reach. Each entry was verified by phone or visit in February 2026, and the verification date is recorded because services change. Every entry uses the same fields, answering the questions a family actually asks: what it provides, who qualifies, what it costs without coverage, when it is open, how to get there without a car, which languages are available, and how to refer.
The Entries
The file holds seven entries.
| Service | Provides | Who qualifies; cost without coverage | When open | Reaching it without a car | Languages | How to refer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County health department immunization clinic | All routine childhood vaccines; no well-child exam | Any county child; vaccines free for uninsured and Medicaid children through the federal children's vaccine program; small administration fee waived on request | Second Tuesday monthly, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; walk-ins accepted | Rural transit dial-a-ride, book 48 hours ahead | English, Spanish (staff interpreter) | Call the clinic line; nurse can book directly |
| Family Clinic A (community health center site) | Well-child exams and vaccines at the same visit | Anyone; sliding fee by income; federal vaccine program enrolled | Weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Medicaid ride benefit for enrolled children; dial-a-ride | English, Spanish, phone interpreter for others | Fax referral form or call scheduling |
| Family Clinic B (private practice) | Well-child exams; vaccines for privately insured children only | Accepts Medicaid for exams; refers Medicaid and uninsured children elsewhere for vaccines | Weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Medicaid ride benefit; dial-a-ride | English; phone interpreter | Call scheduling; note vaccine limitation to family |
| Regional pediatric practice, 45 minutes away | Full pediatric care, vaccines, specialists | Accepts Medicaid and private insurance; self-pay discount | Weekdays 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday mornings | Medicaid ride benefit only; no transit | English, Spanish | Referral from family clinic or direct call |
| Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation | Rides to Medicaid-covered appointments | Children enrolled in Medicaid; free | Book at least 72 hours ahead | Picks up at home; must request a car seat | English, Spanish | Family calls broker; nurse can help book |
| County rural transit dial-a-ride | Door-to-door rides within the county | Anyone; $2 each way | Weekdays 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Is the transport; family must bring car seat | English | Family calls dispatch |
| WIC office | Nutrition services; checks vaccine records and refers | Income-eligible pregnant women and children under 5; free | Monday to Thursday, 8:00 to 4:30 | Dial-a-ride | English, Spanish | Walk in or call |
What the File Shows
Three things stand out. First, only one place in the county gives a well-child exam and all vaccines at the same visit for every child regardless of insurance: Family Clinic A. For Medicaid or uninsured children seen at Family Clinic B, the family must make a second trip to the monthly health department clinic, which falls on a single weekday a month. Second, transport exists but requires planning days ahead: 48 hours for dial-a-ride and 72 for the Medicaid ride benefit, which does not suit a parent who learns their shift schedule weekly. Transportation barriers are a well-documented cause of missed and delayed care (Syed et al., 2013), and a service that must be booked days ahead only partly removes them. Third, nothing is open in the evening, and only the regional practice, 45 minutes away without transit, is open on Saturdays.
Using the File With a Family
At a home visit or WIC appointment, the nurse starts with the family's insurance, car access, and work schedule, then uses the file to find a workable route. For a Medicaid-enrolled child whose parent works weekday shifts, the best route is usually Family Clinic A on the parent's day off, with a Medicaid ride booked during the visit, since families often do not know the ride benefit exists. State Medicaid programs are required to ensure transportation to covered services for enrolled beneficiaries (Assurance of Transportation, 2025, § 431.53), but the benefit only helps if someone tells the family and helps them book it.
Keeping the File Accurate
Each entry carries its verification date and will be rechecked every six months, or sooner when a family reports a problem. The file will be shared with WIC, both family clinics, and the home visiting program, with a request that they report changes. Clinics in the federal children's vaccine program receive vaccines at no cost for eligible children and must meet storage and reporting requirements (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2024), which is why enrolling Family Clinic B is a separate project. Until then, Family Clinic B's vaccine limitation is noted in every copy, so that no one refers a Medicaid child there for vaccines expecting them to be given.
References
Assurance of Transportation, 42 C.F.R. § 431.53 (2025).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Vaccines for Children program operations guide. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Syed, S. T., Gerber, B. S., & Sharp, L. K. (2013). Traveling towards disease: Transportation barriers to health care access. Journal of Community Health, 38(5), 976-993. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-013-9681-1
The Herzing NU 655 Unit 5 instructions
Unit 5 asks you to build a service inventory or referral file for a population need. Expect to define the need, identify services, record practical details such as hours, eligibility, cost and transport, verify each entry, analyze gaps and explain how the file will be used and kept current. Many versions ask you to contact organizations directly. Check whether your section requires verification by phone or allows published information. A file is only useful if its details are accurate, so record when each entry was checked. Practical barriers such as transport and hours often matter more than whether a service exists. Explain how a nurse would use the file in a real conversation with a family, since that is where it proves its value.
Inside the NU 655 Unit 5 example
The file opens with the need and the method, including how entries were verified. Seven entries follow in a consistent format, giving each service's practical details. The findings section draws three conclusions from the entries, such as the single site offering exams and vaccines together. The use section walks through a home visit, showing which questions the nurse asks first and how the answers narrow the options. The maintenance section sets a recheck schedule and a trigger for earlier updates. Each entry includes a note on transport, connecting to the Medicaid transportation rule and evidence on transport barriers. The structure lets a nurse use the file during a visit and lets the grader see the gaps the inventory revealed.
Where the points sit in the NU 655 Unit 5 rubric
Herzing's rubric for a service inventory typically covers the definition of the need, the completeness and accuracy of entries, practical details, analysis of gaps, use with clients, maintenance and writing. Accuracy draws careful attention, and each entry should show it was verified, with a date. Practical detail points reward hours, eligibility, cost and transport for every service. Gap analysis earns credit when the paper draws conclusions from the entries rather than listing them. Use with clients is scored on a realistic process. Maintenance points go to a recheck schedule. Presentation covers a format a nurse could use. The Medicaid transportation regulation and Syed's review appear in the APA 7 list.
NU 655 Unit 5 help before you submit
Service files in Unit 5 commonly lose points through entries copied from websites without verification. Another frequent problem is listing services without practical details, so a family cannot tell whether they can use them. Students often skip transport, the barrier that matters most in rural areas. Gaps are not analyzed. The file has no date or maintenance plan, so it will be wrong within months. Use with families is not described. Finally, keep the file focused on one need, because a directory of every service in the county is less useful than a verified file that answers a specific question for a family with a young child.
Get a NU 655 Unit 5 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 5 instructions and the rubric from your NU 655 classroom, plus the need and area it covers. We write a custom example with the entry fields built, access facts held inside each record, verification dated and a gap statement following the counting. Real local services stay yours to verify. First custom sample free, back in 24 to 48 hours.
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NU 655 Unit 5 questions, answered
How many services belong in the file?
Enough to establish whether the need is genuinely uncovered, which for a single need in one area is often eight to fifteen entries. A file with three entries cannot support a claim that something is missing. Where the instructions cap the length, keep the fields complete and reduce the number of services rather than thinning what each entry records.
Do I have to contact the organizations?
Follow the instructions, since some sections ask for verification by phone and others accept published information. Where you do call, record what you asked and what you were told, and keep the notes at the level of service facts rather than anything about individuals. Where you rely on a website, date the entry, because listings frequently describe programs that changed months earlier.
What if the gap turns out to be small?
That is a legitimate result and often the more interesting paper. A population well served for one need and unreachable for another supports a sharper argument than a manufactured shortage. Say what is covered, name the narrow piece that is not, and describe the barrier leaving people short even where a service technically exists, which is the more common finding anyway.
Where can I find a free NU 655 Unit 5 sample paper?
You can read the whole NU 655 Unit 5 referral file here for free, seven verified entries, the gaps and how a nurse uses it with a family. A custom file can be built for a different need or area.
Does Medicaid cover transportation to medical appointments?
Federal rules at 42 CFR 431.53 require state Medicaid programs to assure necessary transportation to covered services. This sample records how families in the county can request it for well-child and vaccine visits, and how far ahead they must call.