Azusa Pacific University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences received a $4,985,376 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) with David Picella, PhD, FNP, CNS, GS-C, CPG, as the principal investigator. This five-year grant focuses on interprofessional geriatric education and training of healthcare providers to care for older adults in underserved communities across San Bernardino County.
“It is a high honor for APU to receive this distinguished grant. We are building partnerships with top clinical organizations who provide geriatric clinical training and age-friendly education in areas of San Bernardino County that need it most,” Picella said. “Through these initiatives, we are equipping and empowering those at all levels of the healthcare system who have a passion to serve our aging adult populations.”
Through this grant, APU is partnering with CareConnectMD and other community organizations to create an interprofessional geriatric workforce to provide age-friendly and dementia-friendly integrated primary care to older adults in clinics, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities in medically underserved areas. CareConnectMD, is a geriatric oriented company that provides primary care to older adults in the post-acute continuum having a presence at more than 200 nursing homes in California. Together APU and CareConnectMD will leverage this partnership to create a tech-infused workforce that utilizes innovative approaches of care delivery in geriatric primary care.
APU will develop a cohort of more than 50 interprofessional trainees in a newly designed 12-week longitudinal geriatric clinical rotation. The educational program will include interdisciplinary nursing, medicine, physical therapy, psychology, social work, and theology students in a team-based approach. In addition, the grant aims to provide education to faculty, health care systems, and community organizations, ultimately improving geriatric care and increasing the dedicated workforce for older adults.
“As 1 of only 41 higher education institutions in the country, and 1 of only 2 in California, to receive this HRSA grant, APU is uniquely positioned to provide high-quality health care to the geriatric population of San Bernardino County,” said Renee Pozza, PhD, RN, CNS, FNP-BC, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. “Many regions across the county have a growing number of older adults who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) which is why this innovative and holistic geriatric training is critically important.”
The HRSA seeks to improve geriatric health outcomes and achieve health equity through access to quality services, a skilled health workforce, and innovative, high-value programs. By providing financial support to universities like APU, the HRSA is helping advance the education and careers of the future healthcare workforce to provide geriatric care to the anticipated 1.5 million individuals in California by 2040 who are 65 years of age and older with dementia.
Informed by a Christian worldview, APU’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences prepares professional nurses to work collaboratively with other health care workers at all levels and to be future leaders who will advance God’s work in health care. Through innovative programs and expert faculty, nursing and other professional students engage in challenging discussions, mentoring relationships in small classroom settings, invaluable hands-on experiences in state-of-the-art simulation labs, and a culturally diverse practice environment that includes both study abroad and global research opportunities. In its 50th year, the program provides a transformative education for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral students, called to enter this helping profession.