Bassett Awarded Four Grants Totaling Over a Million Dollars
Funds will enhance SBH, mental health services and nurse retention efforts
Cooperstown, NY – Bassett Medical Center has been awarded over a million dollars in four separate federal and state grants that will allow Bassett to establish a new nurse residency program, set up a mental health demonstration project, enhance primary care services to hundreds of students enrolled in Bassett’s School-Based Health program, and expand preventative dental services to underserved children.
Bassett's President and CEO, Dr. William F. Streck, said, "In a troubled economy, grant funding becomes even more critical to maintaining programs like school-based health care, while also allowing us to initiate new programs we believe will prove valuable - such as the mental health demonstration project. Given how keen the competition is for these dollars, the $1.2 million awarded to Bassett also speaks to the worthiness of the programs being funded."
Nurse Residency Program Grant
A $703,153 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) over three years will allow Bassett Medical Center to establish a new Nurse Residency program. The goal is to strengthen the local nursing workforce and improve nurse retention by better supporting and training new graduate registered nurses (RNs), as well as assisting employed graduate nurses and RNs in transitioning into specialty roles.
Bassett Healthcare Network Chief Nursing Officer Connie Jastremski, RN, MS, MBA, notes that the program is extremely important in the region Bassett serves. “There is a pressing need, particularly in this rural region, for highly skilled nurses in specialty practice areas such as the emergency department, obstetrics, and critical care. Nurse residency programs are designed to meet the nurse’s individual training needs and include mentoring through difficult transitions and career progression. And, although the investment of time, people and resources to make this program a reality is significant, research shows the payback in terms of increased competency and nurse retention is tremendous.”
Martha Twichell, RN, manager of Nursing Education, adds, “Similar programs nationwide that enhance the preparation of recent nursing graduates have experienced improved confidence of new graduate nurses and marked increases in nurse retention because it underscores how much we value our nurses and are committed to their long-term career development.”
School-Based Health Capital Equipment Grant
$136,421 from HRSA and made available under the Affordable Care Act to address the capital needs of school-based health centers (SBHCs), will allow Bassett to enhance a variety of services to the school communities it serves. The funds will be used to purchase: spirometry equipment used in the care of students with asthma, dental health equipment to expand the scope of oral health services, audiometers to aid in the assessment of children’s hearing and a refrigerator for safe and reliable vaccine storage.
“We were excited to see the grant announcement from the federal government and even more pleased to be awarded the funding,” said Dr. Chris Kjolhede, director of Bassett’s School-Based Health program. “This funding stream recognizes the needs for some of the most vulnerable Americans and we intend to improve access to the care that these children and adolescents need to be healthy students."
In announcing the HRSA grants, which totaled $95 million to 278 school-based health center programs across the country, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, “This unprecedented investment in school-based health care will bring communities closer together and help children succeed in the classroom.”
Program coordinator Jane Hamilton noted, "These funds will help us provide the youth in our school communities with easily accessible high quality comprehensive health care, which includes medical, dental and mental health care. Our goal is to keep them healthy learners and ultimately healthy adults."
Preventative Dental Services Grant
$250,000 from the New York State Department of Health over a five-year period will allow Bassett to expand its preventative dental services for elementary school students in Otsego, Schoharie, Chenango and Delaware counties. The program will reach over 8687 students, including a target population of approximately 3000 students with Medicaid, Child Health Plus or who are underinsured or uninsured. Services include prophylaxis, placement of sealants and fluoride application, needs assessment, case management and oral health education.
Mental Health Demonstration Project Grant
$130,000 from the New York State Office of Mental Health for a demonstration project that involves hiring mental health professionals to help integrate physical and behavioral health care services for older adults in Bassett’s three primary care health centers in Schoharie County. Bassett’s Psychiatry Department will undertake the demonstration project to identify and treat physical and behavioral health disorders more effectively and address related behavioral and psychosocial factors that adversely impact a patient’s health and health care services.
"We don’t always screen for possible mental health issues during a routine medical appointment," notes Dr. Celeste Johns, chief psychiatrist at Bassett. "An elderly person, for instance, might not realize that their lack of energy and appetite is due to depression. We can connect the dots for them, and we’ll have a mental health worker right there in the primary care clinic they can see immediately because the grant will fund that position."
The demonstration project is targeted for a July 2012 launch.
