Building Geriatric Nursing Capacity
We are so excited to house the Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence (HCGNE) at the Arizona State University College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation. In 2000, the John A. Hartford Foundation trustees established the Building Academic Nursing Capacity Initiative in response to the critical need for expertise in geriatric nursing. We are one of nine Centers supported through John A. Hartford Foundation as a school demonstrating the highest commitment to the field, and having the full potential to build the next generation of scholars and teachers in geriatric nursing. Our Center’s efforts will target not only health disparities experienced by older adults but also prepare faculty who have expertise in promoting healthy aging, and meet the unique and growing needs of ethnically diverse, immigrant, frail and advanced elderly population in both rural and urban areas.
Our efforts are particularly important for Arizona as between the years 2000 and 2030, the number of persons aged 65 and older will increase from 13% to 22%. Coupled with this population growth, there will be an increased demand for nursing leadership among faculty, clinicians, and researchers to promote and facilitate healthy aging in the growing population of older southwestern residents. To address this urgent situation, we need to have faculty with passion and commitment to older adults with aging issues, and who will work to increase both the quantity and quality of nurses with expertise in geriatric nursing- to care for our parents, our families and even us as we age.
To accomplish the mission of building the capacity of faculty in geriatric nursing, we have developed two functional cores. The first core is the Cultural Intergration Core, directed byJohannah Uriri-Glover, PhD, RN that focuses on increasing the diversity of doctoral faculty and in the area of gerontological healthcare and research. The Cognitive Aging Core, directed byVictoria Grando, PhD, APRN, BC focuses on preparing outstanding nursing faculty and practitioners able to meet the mental health needs of our growing aging population, and conduct research in issues affecting cognitive aging. Dr. Nelma Shearer, Co-Director of the Center has spearheaded efforts to recruit students into geriatric nursing study, from the baccalaureate to doctoral and postdoctoral programs. Under the direction of Dr. Evelyn Cesarotti, the Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence (HCGNE) has developed six courses focused on substantive geriatric knowledge for doctoral education and Geriatric Nurse Practitioner specialty program housed within the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Our courses are open to faculty and students from our Southwest states to international students enrolled in our post baccalaureate programs.
Achieving our mission of setting the pace for healthy aging is not an easy task. Our Center goals will keep us on track and the support of community partners will remain key to achieving success. An important component of the ASU HCGNE has been the sustained support from community partners and our discipline colleagues. The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, an Arizona-based private foundation, is committed to a partnership with ASU and the Hartford Foundation to increase geriatric nursing capacity in Arizona, and supports Center faculty recruitment efforts. Commitments of matching funds for pre-doctoral Fellowships from Sun Health, and support from the Arizona Consortium for Long-Term Care and Evercare showcase Arizona’s commitment to aging and geriatric issues. Achieving success also will be measured by the critical academic partnerships our Hartford Center will sustain. We will increase educational offerings and interdisciplinary partnerships fostering development of students and faculty with geriatric expertise by sustained relationships with colleagues in colleges and departments across Arizona State University and at our sister schools at University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University. The development of the Southwest Consortium for Geriatric Nursing Education is designed to facilitate sharing of resources among New Mexico State University, Northern Arizona University, University of Arizona, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, University of Nevada Las Vegas, and University of Texas at El Paso.
Think about YOUR investment in the future, your commitment to excellence in geriatric education, research and practice. We invite you to explore our Hartford Center site, and think about geriatrics for your career passion and specialty. If you are an advanced practice nurse, and want to make a change, think about geriatrics as a practice specialty. If you have a passion for geriatrics, think about being a geriatrics nurse educator. If you are faculty in another area who is interest in change, think about us. Come join us here at Arizona State University to help older persons optimize their health.
Warm Regards,
Colleen Keller, PhD
Foundation Professor in Women’s Health
Director, Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence
