WE HAIL receives grant to improve care

UNT Health Science Center and its community partners areexpanding their efforts to improve health care for older adults with thesupport of a $3.75-million federal grant.

The Health Resources and Services Administration fundingwill address the growing needs of older adults through UNTHSC’s geriatrictraining program, Workforce Enhancement in Healthy Aging and Independent Livingor WE HAIL. UNTHSC was one of 48 grantees awarded for a five-year period,2019-2024.

The funding makes it possible for WE HAIL to build on itsinitial efforts that started four years ago, said Dr. Janice Knebl, DO, MBA, chiefof Geriatrics Section and Dallas Southwest Osteopathic Physicians endowed chairin Geriatrics.

“This is truly a transformative opportunity to improveeducation and training for health care professionals and to help createage-friendly health care programs for older Texans,” she said. “We are so veryappreciative to our partners for collaborating on this funding opportunity andto have expanded our reach to include additional partners within Texas andacross the USA.”

WE HAIL was established in 2015 when UNTHSC collaboratedwith JPS Health Network, Texas Christian University and the United Way’s AreaAgency on Aging of Tarrant County to provide geriatric training and education.

Almost 12 percent of Texans – 3.2 million people – are 65and older, and the number is growing. Tarrant County’s population of adults 65and older is expected to triple and make up nearly 20 percent of the populationby 2050.

WE HAIL offers training opportunities to prepare health careprofessionals to treat geriatric patients and meet their unique and oftencomplex needs, said Jennifer Jurado Severance, PhD, Program Administrative directorfor WE HAIL.

WE HAIL works with health professional schools and trainingprograms, community partners, and health care organizations to equip the primarycare workforce with the knowledge and skills to care for older adults. Newprojects with the UNTHSC Correctional Medicine Department and Office of RuralMedical Education expand training to correctional facilities and rural areasexperiencing challenging issues of aging populations.

“Our focus is on underserved populations, particularly inrural and urban areas,” Dr. Severance said. “Through this continued support, weare able to move forward with additional partners to expand to areas around andbeyond Texas.”

Recently the partnership was expanded to include MedStar andthe North Central Texas Council of Governments. Other partners includeAlzheimer’s Association of North Central Texas, Meals on Wheels of TarrantCounty, Sixty and Better, Texas Health Resources NICHE Program, TexasOsteopathic Medical Association, Texas Hospital Association, University of theIncarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine, and Burrell College ofOsteopathic Medicine in New Mexico.

Earlier this year, the Texas Health and Human ServicesCommission presented WE HAIL with its Innovators in Aging award. This was thefirst time the award, which honors programs that have a positive impact onolder Texans, was presented.