UIW and the Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions received federal funding to support a university-wide initiative in developing an Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP) model of health care. This initiative will be used in a primary health care setting on San Antonio’s Eastside. The award is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions, and the Division of Nursing. Twenty-four projects were funded across the country; only two in Texas.
The Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR) Program-Interprofessional Collaborative Practice is a three-year cooperative agreement. It provides funds to support the development of safe, efficient, effective and equitable healthcare in collaborative practice environments.
This year is viewed as a pilot program with initial participation from nursing, optometry, pharmacy, and healthcare administration. “Our collaborating community partner is CommuniCare Health Centers of San Antonio. Initially, our UIW Faculty IPE Practice Team will be developing a model of care coordination with staff of the Dr. Frank Bryant Health Center. We will then move to the new UIW Eye Care and Health Center,” said Dr. Mary Elaine Jones, UIW IPE initiative project director. The Dr. Frank Bryant Health Center, located at CommuniCare’s East Campus, provides health services to San Antonio’s Eastside.
