The goal of the Seggs Library App is to tackle the sexual and reproductive health education gap in the US. Only 29 states require any form of sex education and the gap in education is growing due to the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, a lack of consensus on the issues, and the absence of federal guidelines. The Capstone team interviewed undergraduate students across the country and sexual health professionals. The team found that many students feel that their education provided them with a good understanding of anatomy and biological changes–however, their education often fell short on topics such as relationships and intimacy, and failed to provide access to helpful resources. The team also found that many students only sought out sexual health information when prompted by their personal lives. To address this issue, the team designed the Seggs Library App as a sexual health platform for students to access information and resources that are inclusive, age appropriate, and medically accurate. This solution can help students become more confident, informed, and heard as they enter new relationships.

The US continues to face a nursing shortage that was first recognized in 1998, and widely exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has driven nursing school graduates to shift careers and active nurses to retire earlier than expected. The team conducted a literature review outlining the factors that are most responsible for the current nursing shortage and reviewing the repercussions of the shortage. The team found that burnout, low pay, a lack of educational programs, an aging nursing population, and a growing advanced practice provider workforce all contribute to the low supply of nurses, and that an aging population, more chronic illness, and a need for more highly-trained nurses all contribute to the increased demand for nurses. Based on its findings, the team recommends the following measures: 1) addressing the shortage during the recruitment phase, 2) expanding access to, and advisement provided by, Bachelor of Nursing programs, and 3) offering financial incentives for entering the nursing profession. The team further recommends that efforts to retain existing nurses should include increasing the number of nurse residency and mentorship programs, improving nurse leadership, addressing burnout, and providing financial incentives to practicing nurses.

Asq Ash is a digital resource hub for sex education that enables high school educators to easily search for and utilize comprehensive, medically accurate, and inclusive resources on sexual health and wellness topics. The Capstone team designed Asq Ash to address the need shared by high school educators to have easy access to comprehensive, medically accurate, and culturally responsive sexual health and education resources. The team’s product is an online database of sourced sex education materials for educators to easily search by topic (e.g., pronouns, healthy relationships, or reproductive anatomy) and resource type (e.g., supplemental, curriculum, or educator training). The team’s solution provides a one-stop shop for educators to easily search, find, access, and use sex education materials that will better support their students.

BJC HealthCare (BJC) is one of the largest nonprofit healthcare organizations in the US, with 15 hospitals located across Missouri and Illinois. As per the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, each BJC hospital is required to complete a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) at least every 3 years. BJC engaged a Capstone team to provide recommendations to increase alignment in CHNA execution across the network and improve processes to better reflect the health needs of communities served by the organization. The team conducted an extensive landscape analysis of CHNA activities at healthcare organizations across the country and drew upon best practices regarding health needs data collection, community and patient engagement, participatory action research, and public health planning. In addition to making recommendations that were immediately implemented in the 2023 CHNA at one of the BJC hospitals, the team created an updated CHNA guidebook, along with a roadmap outlining steps for BJC to implement a system-wide approach for future CHNA cycles.