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 was held on Feb. 26, 2007 at the Nursing Faculty Practice, NYU College of Dentistry. NYUCN Dean Terry Fulmer, sponsors Barbara and Donald Jonas of the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence, Julio Urbina, Senior Program Officer, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc., and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) as well as leaders from NYU and the community turned out to celebrate the official opening.
“At NYUCN, we believe the standard of healthcare is all about creative synergies and advanced practice nursing,” says Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, NYUCN dean. “Nurse practitioners, in particular, are really the future for primary care in America, particularly for older adults.
I want to give our deepest thanks to our benefactors, Barbara and Donald Jonas of the Barbara & Donald Jonas Family Fund at the Jewish Communal Fund and The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc., both of whom are spectacular healthcare visionaries who have made this practice possible. We are also 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,” said Dean Fulmer.
“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.”
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.
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, the Nursing Faculty Practice targets older adults, whose high prevalence of chronic illness puts them at risk for increased illness and disability.
I’m thrilled to be here,” said Donald Jonas said. “I honestly think we have something very exciting that can be duplicated,. I’ll be happy to tell you the program started off really well, it’s moving along great, and we’re so pleased to be a part of it, especially with Julio and The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc. on board as well. We’re going to do some great things together.”
The Fan Fox and the Leslie R. Samuel Foundation’s healthcare mission is to improve the quality of life of the elderly in NYC,” said Julio Urbina, Senior Program Officer for The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation. “Our foundation prides itself in supporting smart, well-managed, cool organizations which do some really great work. We are thankful for having the opportunity to work with NYU because we know that this project is going to ultimately help our mission of improving the quality of life of the elderly.”
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.
For a publication quality image of the ribbon cutting, please go to: http://www.nyu.edu/public.affairs/images/photos/uploads/NYUCN_02262007.jpg
PHOTO CREDIT: Leo Sorel PHOTO CAPTION: [L. to R.] Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, The Erline Perkins McGriff Professor of Nursing & Dean, College of Nursing; Julio Urbina, Senior Program Officer, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; Barbara Jonas; Donald Jonas, Marilyn A. DeLuca, Executive Director, Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence, Richard Vogel, DMD, Interim Dean, College of Dentistry
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