New York University

New York University

The Office of Public Affairs

Monday, Oct 23, 2006

N-116, 2006-07

Innovative Clinic Opens Within NYU College of Dentistry

The New York University College of Nursing has opened an innovative Nursing Faculty Practice-a nurse practitioner (NP) managed primary health care center that addresses the great need for primary care among New Yorkers, particularly older adults. Located within the NYU College of Dentistry, at First Avenue and 24th Street in Manhattan, the Nursing Faculty Practice is a key part of the unique alliance between the NYU Colleges of Nursing and Dentistry, begun in September 2005. The Nursing Faculty Practice will provide a core of primary care services provided by adult geriatric and family nurse practitioners that address not only disease-based clinical management for health problems such as high blood pressure, asthma, and diabetes, but also health promotion and disease prevention. Patients will be drawn largely from the population seen by the dental clinic, which provides more than 275,000 dental visits a year, particularly attracting those who do not have dental insurance.

“The Nursing Faculty Practice at the College of Dentistry is the diamond in our new partnership, and we are indebted to our colleagues in the College of Dentistry for their enthusiastic support as we move forward to look at new health care delivery systems that improve access to care,” says Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the College of Nursing.

“Fifteen percent of Americans who visit their dentists each year- approximately 45 million people-do not have primary care providers,” said Richard I. Vogel, DDS, dean of the NYU College of Dentistry. “In a survey of NYU dental patients, one-third reported problems accessing primary care due to their socioeconomic status and lack of insurance, and 77 percent said that they would take advantage of primary care services were they offered at the dental clinic. We are delighted that this collaboration is creating a new model of health care delivery.”

With generous funding from the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence, the practice will particularly target older adults, whose high prevalence of chronic illness puts them at risk for increased illness and disability. Regular preventive care is known to help older people stay out of nursing homes and hospitals, yet access to such care can be a challenge, even for those with insurance. Many older people face problems with transportation, difficulty making timely appointments, or fear that they will be rushed through the office. The Faculty Practice aims to provide thorough, one-stop shopping to many of those patients, to make health care accessible and convenient.

“Our practice is unique in that it is based on our combined nursing and dentistry vision of improving the comprehensive health outcomes for adults and especially older adults,” says Dr. Judith Haber, associate dean for graduate programs at the NYU College of Nursing. “We hope this will become a national model that demonstrates the synergy between oral health and systemic health.”

The Nursing Faculty Practice will offer health-promotion services to patients who already have primary care providers. Patients who do not have regular caregivers will have the option of receiving their primary care at the Nursing Faculty Practice.

The practice is located in the main lobby of the College of Dentistry, where it is visible to all who enter. It will also be promoted through the College of Dentistry’s 12 Senior Smiles programs based in senior centers, where Nursing Faculty Practice staff will present health promotion and illness-prevention programming

The Clinical Director of the NYU College of Nursing Faculty Practice is Madeline Lloyd, a family nurse practitioner and psychiatric nurse practitioner, The practice is staffed by College of Nursing nurse practitioners Rose Knapp and Caroline Dorsen. Carolyn Auerhahn, EdD, APRN, BC, NP-C, FAANP, a geriatric and adult nurse practitioner and director of the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence grant, will lead the Faculty Practice health care programs for older adults. Practice staff work in collaboration with a physician, Robert Kennedy, MD, who is a long-time member of the NYU nursing faculty.

Patients can schedule an appointment by calling 212-998-9420. No referral is needed.