Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing received a $2.7 million award from the Health Resources and Services Administration to help increase the number of nurses working in community-based primary care settings, particularly among medically underserved populations.

A unique characteristic of the four-year project is the school’s partnership with Mercy Care --- a federally qualified health center and Atlanta’s only health center for the homeless that also helps individuals who lack access to behavioral health care services.

“We welcome the opportunity to work with Mercy Care,” says Laura Kimble, RN, PhD, project director and clinical professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. “This project is an important asset in helping our students learn how to provide high quality nursing care across the community.

Undergraduate nursing students selected to participate in the program will receive scholarship support and will complete community health clinical experiences at Mercy Care, precepted by Mercy Care nurses. The grant will also fund creation and deployment of professional development programs for registered nurses working in community-based primary care environments as well as those who are transitioning from acute care settings to primary care.

The School of Nursing will partner with training specialists and instructional designers from the Emory Center for Training and Technical Assistance within the Rollins School of Public Health to create high-quality professional development programs and to evaluate the project.

“Our partnership with Mercy Care demonstrates our dual commitments and social responsibility to providing health care and improving health outcomes across all communities,” explains Linda McCauley, RN, PhD, and dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. “This opportunity also helps equip and train nursing students to provide care in the most innovative and efficient ways. The interdisciplinary health care teams will create an invaluable learning experience.”