Nevada System of Higher Education
Health Sciences System Newsletter 
October 2014
   
The Health Sciences System (HSS) was established by the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents in 2006. Its purpose is to address Nevada's community health issues through a system-wide effort to integrate and expand the education of health professionals and to foster collaborative research in health and health care.  Through collaboration among the NSHE institutions and a broad range of external partners, the HSS intends to be a catalyst for improvement in the health and wellness of Nevada.  Visit us at:  http://system.nevada.edu/

GBC Receives $2 million from the TAACCT grant

 

 

 

Great Basin College was recently awarded a Trade Adjustment Act Community College Career Training (TAACCCT) grant with $2 million for two additional nursing sites in Pahrump and Winnemucca and the expansion of the GBC Veteran's Resource Center.   The grant funding will provide an extension of the current nursing program, to include a nursing instructor at both sites and a state of the art nursing simulation lab. Students will complete their clinical rotations within these communities with all theory portions of a course transmitted through Interactive Video (IAV) from the main GBC campus.


 

Great Basin College has a very diverse population within its 86,000-mile service area with more than 120,000 residents. Approximately 3,500 of them enroll at GBC and its satellite centers located throughout Nevada.  Many of the students at GBC are considered non-traditional or they are unable to leave their home to relocate in order to obtain higher education. GBC shows great innovation in practice by offering nearly 90 IAV courses.


 

Extending the nursing program to Pahrump and Winnemucca will allow students to remain in their home location where they are more likely to provide the needed health care services in those communities. More information about the GBC nursing program can be found at http://www.gbcnv.edu/programs/show.cgi?AAS-RN, or by calling 775-753-2301. 

 

TMCC second year Dental Hygiene Students reach out to the community

 

Second year dental hygiene students enrolled in the Community Dental Health course at Truckee Meadows Community College are contributing oral health education and care through standing community service programs, and with unique programs of their own design. "It's a way to show students how they might apply their skills outside of private practice, because some populations cannot afford to go to the dentist's office, or might not even know they need to seek dental care," said  Julie Stage-Rosenberg, professor of dental hygiene.

 

Two standing outreach programs practiced at TMCC for eight years have assisted in providing dental health care to children and seniors. TMCC students conduct about 120 oral screenings and application of fluoride varnish in both fall and spring semesters for children age 0-3, participating in a partnership with University of Nevada, Reno Early Head Start. The second standing type of outreach is for seniors at Metropolitan Gardens Apartments, and with the Senior Bridges program at Northern Nevada Medical Center. In addition to dental health education, one of the activities they lead is nutrition bingo, with dental products as prizes.

 

Students then design unique health education programs for a target population of their choice.  This fall, they are working in teams to carry out needs assessment surveys for their chosen age group, and using the results to design an oral health education program which will be implemented and evaluated in the spring. Programs being created are dental instruction units for a third-grade class at Sun Valley Elementary School and fourth-grade students at Katherine Dunn Elementary School, the Step 2 women in recovery program, residents living at the Brookdale Villas of Sparks Senior Living Solutions, and the Cyesis Program for pregnant teens at Washoe Innovations High School.

Interprofessional Health Equity Symposium addresses causes and cures for Nevada's health inequities

More than 175 health care leaders, educators, researchers and public officials learned more about the status, causes and possible cures for Nevada's health inequities at the Interprofessional Health Equity Symposium on Fri., Oct. 10, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine in Las Vegas. Sponsored by the University of Nevada School of Medicine and Sanford Center for Aging and the UNLV School of Dental Medicine, Boyd School of Law, School of Nursing and School of Community Health Sciences, the event also was supported by the Nevada IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence. Dozens of presenters discussed the latest research on topics including the Affordable Care Act, alcohol, and drugs, autism, cancer, obesity, medical provider shortages, nutrition and racial and socioeconomic disparities.


Deborah Kuhls, MD, associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Nevada School of Medicine's Las Vegas campus and one of the event planners, said, "Our symposium focused on showcasing the work of schools and institutions across Nevada that are working together to improve the health of Nevadans." 

School of Medicine offers free caregiver trainings in rural communities, Carson City

 

The Nevada Geriatric Education Center, a division of the Office of Statewide Initiatives at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, is offering free caregiver training sessions in the following communities this fall:

  • Elko: Wednesday Nov. 5 from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m. at The Terrace at Ruby View, 1795 Ruby View Drive, Elko.
  • Winnemucca: Thursday, Nov. 6 from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m. at Pleasant Senior Center, 1480 Lay Street, Winnemucca.
  • Carson City: Thursday, Nov. 13 from 12:30 to 3:45 p.m. at the Carson City Senior Center, 911 Beverly Drive, Carson City.
  • Yerington: Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m. at Yerington Senior Center, Older Americans of Lyon County, 117 Tilson Way, Yerington.
  • Fallon: Wednesday, Nov. 19 from 12:30 to 3:45 p.m. at the Churchill County Senior Center, 310 Court Street, Fallon.
  • Pahrump: Wednesday, Dec. 10 from 12:30 to 3:45 p.m. at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, 1651 East Calvada Boulevard, Pahrump.
Sign-ups start 15 minutes prior to training start time.

These trainings, the same at each location and sponsored by the Aging and Disability Services Division, follow the theme "Health Brain, Healthy Body" and aim to explain the difference between dementia and Alzheimer's disease, present strategies to maintain brain health, discuss principles and techniques to respond effectively to persons living with a form of dementia and explain the importance of physical activity for healthy living.


Caregivers of older adults are invited to attend. Respite may be available so you may attend this program. Call (775)687-4680 ext. 117 to inquire about respite.

Continuing education units are available.



For questions or to register for this free opportunity, contact Diann Jones at (775)682-8470.


 

Did you know: 
The Nevada System of Higher Education has 150 distinct Health Sciences programs throughout eight institutions with an estimated total of 18,000 enrolled students.
Join Our Mailing List