USI Receives $2 Million in Grants
The University of Southern Indiana’s College of Nursing and Health Professions has been awarded more than $2 million in grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration. The federal funding will be implemented to improve health care delivery in underserved areas, specifically for mental health services.
"The timing couldn’t be better, because the same week we learned of this grant, local health care leaders announced the results of the 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment, identifying behavioral/mental health as one of four priority areas in both Vanderburgh and Warrick counties," said Dr. Ann White, dean of USI’s College of Nursing and Health Professions. "It will take collaboration in our community to move the needle on mental health outcomes, so USI is pleased to contribute to this initiative."
HRSA awarded two grants to the university. A 1.7 million grant will be utilized for the Primary Care/Mental Health Integrated Model and a $350,000 grant will fund USI’s Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship Program. The first grant of $1.7 million will be used to incorporate primary care and mental health services in southwestern Indiana, southeastern Illinois and northern Kentucky over three years.
"This model will incorporate graduate-level nurse practitioner students, graduate-level social work students and a registered pharmacist working in interprofessional practice teams,” White said. “Team members will collaborate within the model through interventions and preventive care planning in various care settings, with the goal of increasing the number of primary care sites that provide mental health care onsite or by referral.”
The $350,000 grant to the university will fund the trainee program for nursing students pursuing advanced degrees. The program will benefit up to 60 students in the Masters of Science in Nursing and Post-Masters Certificate programs in their last year. The grant will contribute to scholarships for tuition, fees and books to the students.
"This program will target three nurse practitioner specialties: Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner,” said Dr. Mellisa Hall, chair of USI’s graduate nursing program. “Priority will be given to diverse students who plan to work in rural and underserved areas, because the goal of this traineeship program is to increase the number of advanced practice nurses for these communities.”