Middle Tennessee Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP)
The Middle Tennessee Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (Middle TN GWEP) addresses Tennessee’s poor health rankings, dementia care needs, and health profession shortfall by integrating geriatrics into primary care delivery systems while increasing the pool of quality geriatric providers.
The program will enhance training for a multidisciplinary group of providers, healthcare professionals, students, trainees, patients, caregivers, and policy makers via collaborations with 14 community partners to deliver age-friendly and dementia-friendly care prioritizing TTOUR primary care sites/delivery systems. The Middle TN GWEP has received funding to expand the progress of prior funding and continue to provide high value geriatrics education to more healthcare professionals and enhance geriatric care in our region.
Goals & Objectives
To educate and train the primary care and geriatrics workforces and other appropriate specialties to provide age-friendly and dementia-friendly care for older adults.
Develop reciprocal partnerships between academia, primary care sites/delivery systems (including nursing homes), and community organizations, to transform clinical training environments into integrated geriatrics and primary care sites/delivery systems that are age-friendly and dementia-friendly.
- Age-friendly Care
- Meharry
- TVHS and VA Region
- VUMC
- Cherokee Health System
- Dementia-friendly Care
- Cherokee Health System
Provide interprofessional geriatrics clinical training and education to students, residents, fellows, faculty, and preceptors in Tribal, Tribal Organizations, Underserved and/or Rural (TTOUR) primary care sites/delivery systems with the intent to have them practice in these sites upon completion of their program.
- Geriatric education and interdisciplinary training for Geriatric Fellows, healthcare trainees, and faculty
- TVHS
- Meharry
- VUMC
- VU School of Nursing
- Interdisciplinary Team Training Conferences
- Meharry
- Lipscomb
- Middle TN Annual Geriatric Update Conference
- RN Apprenticeship Program
- MTSU/NHC
- CNA Apprenticeship Program
- MTSU/NHC
Establish and/or maintain education and training programs in TTOUR primary care sites/delivery systems that provide the supportive care workforce, direct care workers, and the primary care workforce with the knowledge and skills to improve the care of older adults, including persons living with dementia, by using innovative technology and methods.
- Dementia care and dementia-friendly training
- Nursing students (MTSU, VUSN)
- Nurse faculty (VUSN, MTSU)
- Nursing home staff (VUSN, NHC, MTSU)
- FQHC (Cherokee)
- First Responders (VUSN)
- Caregiver training
- Support Training (Alzheimer's TN)
- Eldercare Coach (AgeWell Middle TN)
- Caregivers First (TVHS)
- Physician training - dementia & geriatrics
- Medical residents & geriatric fellows (Meharry, VUMC)
- Telehealth Dementia Support for Primary Care Consultations (TVHS, Cherokee)
Team
-
Jennifer Kim
PI, VUSN
-
Jade Vergara
Geriatric Nursing Expert, VUSN
-
Jim Powers
Community Partner, AARP of Tennessee and Tennessee Collation for Better Aging Site Director, VUMC & TVHS
-
Grace Smith
Community Partern, AARP of Tennessee and Tennessee Collation for Better Aging
Site Director, AgeWell Middle TN -
Cheryl Blanchford
Site Director, Alzheimer’s Tennessee
-
Laura Porter, PhD
Site Director, Cherokee Health
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Deborah Lee
Site Director, Middle Tennessee State University
-
Kay Murphree
Educational Partner, Middle Tennessee State University
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Brooke Vanderpool
Site Contact, National Healthcare Corporation
-
Stella Lartey
Academic Partner, Clemson University
-
Rochelle Roberts
Government Partner, TN Department of Health
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Sean Huang
Epic Physician Builder, VUMC
-
Sandra Simmons
Lead Program Evaluator, VUMC
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Rohini Chakravathy
Community Medicine Educator, VUMC
-
Parul Goya
Geriatric Medicine Expert, VUMC
-
Maria Duggan
Geriatric Medicine Expert, VUMC
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Emily Hollingsworth
Assistant Program Evaluator, VUMC
-
Abbie Burka
Site Director, Lipscomb School of Pharmacy
-
Sarah Christmann
Program Manager, VUSN
Partners
Academic Partners | Community Partners | Government Partners |
|---|---|---|
Vanderbilt University Medical Center VUMC | AgeWell Middle TN AgeWell | Tennessee Valley Healthcare System TVHS |
Meharry Medical College MMC | Alzheimer's Tennessee | The Tennessee Department of Health |
Middle Tennessee State University School of Nursing MTSU | Cherokee Health Systems | |
Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy | National Healthcare Corporation NHC | |
University of Memphis School of Public Health | Advocacy Partners AARP of TN and Tennessee Collation for Better Aging |
GWEP is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $5,000,000 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.