ANACA The Nursing Voice Fall 2019

anacalifornia.org  .  23 University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions HRSA Grant Announcement The University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions (SONHP) was awarded a federal grant in the amount of $2,462,647 over 4 years from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop an innovative academic practice partnership for preparing Family Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner students for practice with rural and medically underserved populations. Associate Professor Alexa Colgrove Curtis PhD, MPH, FNP-BC serves as the Project Director for this HRSA grant. SONHP faculty and students will work with clinical partner—Community Recovery Resources/Granite Wellness, Chapa-De Indian Health, and Dignity Health—to meet goals to increase access to cultural- ly-competent integrated behavioral health in primary care among rural and medically underserved populations in Northern California (CA) and the CA Central Valley, through collaborative education practices between NP trainees and clinical preceptors. “As a rural healthcare provider, I am keenly aware of the acute need for healthcare workforce development in rural and other- wise under-resourced communities. Of particular importance is the preparation of primary care clinicians to address critical behavioral health issues, including opioid use. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with our partners to develop solutions that meet the needs of the local community.” —Dr. Alexa Curtis The grant will support recruitment of NP students who plan to work with rural and medically underserved populations. These efforts respond to critical needs in the aforementioned communities, including the development of a theoretical and clinical focus on substance use disorders, including opioids, and other mental health issues, as well as childhood obesity and development of telehealth competencies in students and preceptors to extend the accessibility of integrated behavioral health services in primary care. The grant will also support recruitment of NP students who plan to work with rural and medically underserved populations, providing 64 students overall (16 students per year) with traineeship, thus fostering employment of nurse practitioners in rural and medically underserved areas. Dean Margaret W. Baker congratulates Professor Curtis and our clinical partners on this HRSA award to address critical needs in these communities and looks forward to supporting them in this significant effort to transform population health with evidence- informed practice. “The School of Nursing and Health Professions is comprised of extraordinarily talented and dedicated faculty like Dr. Curtis, who are committed to health equity, social justice, and improving health and health care. This school, with its mix of health professions and use of an interprofessional collaborative approach, is positioned to excel in integrated physical and mental health care and in population health.” New Grad Corner