USER

The Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Nursing (SON), in collaboration with the School of Medicine (SOM) and the Global Health Center (GHC), has been awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions to develop and implement an innovative and capacity-building Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP) program that builds on existing community and practice partnerships. The IPCP demonstration project is called I-CAN (Interprofessional Care Access Network).

The purpose of I-CAN is to create a collaborative model for clinical practice and education that enhances the health care experience, improves population health outcomes, and reduces health care costs for disadvantaged and underserved clients/patients, families, and populations in partnership with established neighborhood agencies that have served as clinical sites for OHSU students. The program strengthens capacity of nurses and other health care professionals to lead interprofessional practice through collaborative health care delivery, and advance the health and well-being of disadvantaged populations in neighborhoods in Portland and Medford, Oregon. The project coordinates academic programs, community services, and health care delivery by leveraging existing neighborhood partnerships.

I-CAN facilitates interprofessional experiences for students, faculty, and practitioners by coordinating care through Neighborhood Collaboratives for Academic-Practice Partnerships (NCAPPs). Intra-institutional partners include the SON, SOM, GHC, School of Dentistry, OHSU/OSU College of Pharmacy, and the Office of the Provost. Community partners include primary care clinics, neighborhood community organizations, and health services agencies (HSAs) that are federally designated as medically underserved communities.

Interprofessional student teams visit clients/patients referred by an NCAPP partner and address social determinants of health that affect participation in their healthcare and health outcomes. I-CAN supports the NCAPP through a nurse faculty in residence (FIR) who facilitates care coordination and interprofessional collaborative practice experiences. Clients /patients are discussed in huddles with the referring health care professional and at NCAPP meetings to identify population health issues.

The proposed Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP) innovation is sustainable and scalable, and will grow over the grant period to serve as a statewide model for interprofessional health care for underserved populations in an evolving delivery system and for training effective interprofessional care teams.