SUNY DOWNSTATE AWARDED $3.75 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT TO ADVANCE GERIATRIC HEALTH IN BROOKLYN
Jun 25, 2019
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services award will develop new interprofessional geriatric curriculum and training to provide the highest level of geriatric care in Brooklyn
BROOKLYN, NY - SUNY Downstate Medical Center today announced that the Health Resources and Services
Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded
a 5-year, $3.75 million grant to Downstate’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences to prepare physicians, nurses, and other members of the health care team
to provide comprehensive, integrated physical and mental health services for older
adults. This model service and training initiative will be led by clinical and education
experts in primary care, geriatric psychiatry, and nursing with Drs. Carl Cohen and
Michael Reinhardt as the project directors, and Drs. Everton Prospere, Shirley Girouard,
and Tonya Taylor as Co-Directors.
The grant will provide additional financial resources to support Downstate’s Brooklyn Initiative to Develop Geriatrics Education (BRIDGE), an interprofessional geriatrics education initiative that includes the College of Nursing, the Department of Medicine, the Department of Psychiatry, the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, the School of Public Health and the College of Health Related Professions, as well as neighborhood health centers and community-based organizations focused on Brooklyn’s aging population.
The grant will also fund educational efforts through Downstate’s Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease, which combines geriatric psychiatrists, advanced practice nurses, geriatric medicine specialists, a behavioral neurologist, social workers, and care managers to provide comprehensive care for patients. The Center also serves as a training site for medical, nursing and other health professional students and for geriatric psychiatry and medicine residents, and fellows.
"This grant from HRSA recognizes the critical importance Downstate’s Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease and our Psychiatry program in improving the mental health and quality of life for residents here in Brooklyn,” said SUNY Downstate President Wayne J. Riley, M.D. “This funding will result in more intense training for our students, medical residents and fellows, nurses, and other providers to improve the care of older adults at Downstate. In collaboration with community partners and providers, we aim to improve the health and wellbeing of older adults in our community.”
The HRSA grant will be dispersed over 5 years to support comprehensive care and services to Brooklyn’s aging population by educating providers, healthcare workers, and students about the physical and mental health needs of older adults. It will also address the social determinants of health in integrated primary care and geriatric settings.
Funding will also be used to promote health literacy, age-friendly health systems
and dementia-friendly communities through partnerships with local organizations, including
the Brownsville Multi-Service Family Health Services, Kings County Hospital, Fort
Greene Council, and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health.1
About SUNY Downstate’s Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease
SUNY Downstate’s Center for Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease offers integrated,
one-stop care for patients and caregivers that include geriatric psychiatrists, geriatric
medicine specialists, a behavioral neurologist, medical assistant, social workers,
care managers, and a neuropsychologist. Many of the staff are bi-lingual. The program
serves as a training site for students, residents, and fellows in geriatric psychiatry
and medicine.
1 Note: This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $3.75 million with zero percentage financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
###
About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.