Innovative Clinic Opens Within NYU College of Dentistry
The New York University College of Nursing (NYUCN) 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.
A ribbon-cutting celebration will take place Feb. 26 at the Nursing Faculty Practice, NYU College of Dentistry, 345 East 24th Street, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. NYUCN Dean Terry Fulmer, sponsors Barbara and Donald Jonas of the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence and Juilo Urbina, Senior Program Officer, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc., as well as leaders from New York University and the community will be present.
Located within the New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD), the Nursing Faculty Practice is a key part of the unique alliance between NYUCN and NYUCD. The Nursing Faculty Practice offers a core of primary care services provided by adult, geriatric, and family nurse practitioners, addressing health problems such as high blood pressure, asthma, and diabetes, as well as emphasizing healthy behaviors and disease prevention. Patients are being drawn largely from the population seen by the NYUCD dental clinics, which provide more than 290,000 dental visits a year, particularly attracting those who do not have dental insurance. The Nursing Faculty Practice also has reached out to older adults through NYUCN’s free flu shot campaign and through the 20 senior centers in Manhattan that are part of NYUCD’s Senior Smiles program.
“The Nursing Faculty Practice at the College of Dentistry is the diamond in our new partnership, and we are indebted to our colleagues at 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, NYUCN dean.
“Fifteen percent of Americans who visit their dentists each year- approximately 45 million people-do not have primary care providers,” says Richard I. Vogel, DMD, NYUCD interim dean. “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 support of three year grants from the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence Grant from the Barbara & Donald Jonas Family Fund at the Jewish Communal Fund and from The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc., the Nursing Faculty Practice targets 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 doctors’ offices. The Nursing Faculty Practice provides thorough, “one-stop shopping” to many of those patients, making health care accessible and convenient at NYUCD.
“Our practice is unique in that it is based on our combined nursing and dentistry vision of improving comprehensive health outcomes for adults and especially older adults,” says Dr. Judith Haber, associate dean for graduate programs at the NYUCN. “We hope this will become a national model that demonstrates the synergy between oral health and systemic health.”
Patients may choose to receive all of their primary care from the Nursing Faculty Practice or use it as a source of health-promotion services to augment the care they are receiving. The practice is located off the main lobby of the NYUCD, where it is visible to all who enter.
The Clinical Director of the NYU College of Nursing Faculty Practice is Madeline Lloyd, a family nurse practitioner (NP) and psychiatric nurse practitioner (NP). The practice is staffed by College of Nursing nurse practitioners Rose Knapp (NP) and Caroline Dorsen (NP). Carolyn Auerhahn, EdD, APRN ,a geriatric and adult nurse practitioner (NP) 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 may schedule an appointment by calling 212-998-9420. No referral is needed.
About the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence: The mission of the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence is to advance professional nursing through programs that promote nurse recruitment and retention, increase racial and ethnic diversity among the nursing workforce, advance innovative practice models and improve practice environments.
About The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc.: The Foundation’s Healthcare Program supports patient-based and social service activities that directly help the elderly of New York City. Its aim is to improve the way health and social services are delivered by providing support for innovative, effective, efficient, and caring organizations.
About NYUCN: The College of Nursing at the College of Dentistry is located on New York University’s historic Greenwich Village campus in New York City. The College of Nursing is one of the leading nursing programs in the United States. The College offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing; Master of Arts and Post-Master’s Certificate Programs; and a Doctor of Philosophy in Research Theory and Development. For more information, visit www.nyu.edu/nursing