MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 21, 2016. Today the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education announced the grant recipients for the Accelerating Interprofessional Community-Based Education and Practice program. An advisory council of national leaders in Interprofessional Practice and Education (IPE), selected 16 recipients for funding. Each team is led by a graduate nursing program, and includes one or more professional schools and a community clinical setting. Funded programs will also receive technical assistance, expert, in-person and group consultation and resources from the National Center to accelerate their interprofessional education and collaboration efforts in community settings.

The goal of the initiative is for health and other professional schools, with a history of collaboration, to work together with a community partner and the individuals and families that it serves to develop innovative, creative and sustainable interprofessional clinical initiatives that accelerate their existing interprofessional education.

“Clinical care has rapidly evolved to become more team-based across professions, and has begun to shift from acute-care settings to community settings. The opportunity to fund these programs and develop deep relationships with community partners is going to provide a real-world boost to each initiative,” said Barbara Brandt, Director of the National Center. “Together, nurse-led interprofessional partnerships working with individuals and their families in community-based settings will have a significant impact on outcomes and set the stage for continued improvement.”

Full program teams will gather in Minneapolis on October 24-26 for an immersive Accelerating kickoff institute. Teams will collaborate directly with National Center staff and faculty to fully leverage current resources and evidence, and create initial work and implementation plans for their project.

Recognizing the importance of interprofessional education and collaboration, this unique opportunity is made possible through the generous support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The John A. Hartford Foundation, the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Through these partnerships, programs will accelerate their existing interprofessional work.

A complete list of grant recipients and additional information about the Accelerating program is available on the National Center website, nexusipe.org.

About The National Center

The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education provides the leadership, evidence and resources needed for the study of interprofessional practice and education (IPE) as an effective health care delivery model. Founded in October 2012 through a cooperative agreement with the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), the National Center is a unique public-private partnership with funding from HRSA, the University of Minnesota and four private foundations: Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Learn more about the National Center’s work at www.nexusipe.org.