Hartford Institute Programs and Projects

Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing
New York University College of Nursing
Geriatric Programs and Projects, 2010

For the NYU College of Nursing, geriatrics is a key initiative with six senior level geriatric nurse faculty, two endowed chairs, and a required geriatrics course in the BS program (a total of 508 undergraduate students).   The College has master’s and post-master’s programs preparing Geriatric Nurse Practitioners (GNP), with a total of 42 Geriatric and dual GNP/Adult Nurse Practitioners (GNP/ANP) graduate students. There are doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows involved in research in geriatric nursing science.

The NYU College of Nursing, building on the branding of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing (the Hartford Institute) as the leading national site for evidence-based geriatric nursing resources, which has resulted from its core funding from The John A. Hartford Foundation, will continue the Hartford Institute as the umbrella structure for the College’s geriatric initiatives.

The Hartford Institute serves as the umbrella structure for the NYU College of Nursing geriatric initiatives. Since1996, the Hartford Institute mission has been to shape the quality of nursing care to older adults by assuring geriatric competency of America's nurses. The Hartford Institute is nationally recognized for its unique focus on disseminating best practices to nursing students, faculty, practicing nurses, and policy makers. Mathy Mezey, EdD, RN, FAAN directs the Hartford Institute, along with Co-Directors Dean Fulmer and Elizabeth Capezuti, PhD, APRN, FAAN, and Associate Directors Carolyn Auerhahn, EdD, APRN, BC, NP-C, FAANP and Deborah A Chyun, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN.

Geriatric Competence of Specialty Nurses (REASN Project-Resourcefully Enhancing Aging in Specialty Nursing (Funder: Atlantic Philanthropies, Inc):The purpose of REASN is to help specialty nursing associations develop and distribute sustainable resources on care of older adults to their members. In Phase 1 (2002-2007), the Hartford Institute worked with the American Nurses Association and 55 specialty nursing associations (representing 500,000+ nurses). In the current phase (2007-2011), the Hartford Institute collaborates with 13 associations whose members (200,000+) primarily work in hospitals. The outcomes of the project are new, advanced geriatric training resources and sustainable infrastructures for geriatric initiatives in the 13 associations.

NICHE (Nurses Improving Care to Healthsystems Elders) (Funder: Atlantic Philanthropies, Inc): A national nursing program providing essential tools and evidence based resources to benefit hospitalized older patients. Currently incorporating over 300 hospitals in North America NICHE offers strategic and innovative methodologies to improve care to older patients, including an institutional assessment and benchmarking service, models of geriatric nursing, and resources that address the needs of direct nurse provider and nursing management (www.NicheProgram.org).

The Hartford Institute partnership with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) to support geriatrics in baccalaureate and advanced practice nursing education: Through sub-contracts from AACN (with funding from The John A. Hartford Foundation), the Hartford Institute supports two AACN initiatives: "Enhancing Geriatric Nursing Education for Baccalaureate Nursing Programs," (GNEC), and "Advanced Practice Registered Nursing Initiative Transitioning to Adult-Gerontology APRN Education: Ensuring the APRN Workforce is Prepared to Care for Older Adults,"

The Hartford Institute Coalition of Geriatric Nursing Organizations (CGNO): A coalition of 8 nursing organizations representing 28,000+ nurses.^[1] Organized in 2001, the CGNO seeks to positively affect the quality of long term care by strengthening geriatric nursing's voice in public policy and legislation, convening consensus conferences, and preparing papers for publications and presentations at national meetings and hearings.

Consortium of New York Geriatric Education Center (CNYGEC) (Funder: DHHS, Health Resource Service Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Health Professions): A consortium of NYU, Columbia University, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, and the Brookdale Center, to improve and expand geriatric health care particularly for minority, multi-ethnic, low-income, and under served elderly throughout NY state by providing interdisciplinary training to health care professionals and academic faculty leadership.

Culture Change Nursing Homes as Clinical Training Sites: Recommendations to the Field: (Funders: Commonwealth Fund and the Picker Institute): with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the Pioneer Network, this project will develop and disseminate text and web-based modules to promote nursing homes as clinical placements in nursing programs, with a focus on culture change values and practices.

Preparing Nurse Faculty to Supervise Student Clinical Rotations in Care of Older Adults: (Funder: Jewish Foundation for Education of Women): a pilot project to develop and evaluate a web-based case-study tutorial to help clinical nursing faculty teach geriatric best practices to baccalaureate nursing students.

Enhancing Nurse Competence in Care for Older Adults at HHC: (Funder: Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation): a pilot project to prepare RNs in NY City Health and Hospital Corporation hospitals and nursing homes improve nursing care of older adults through educational sessions and national certification in gerontological nursing.

Geriatric Nursing Competency in Home Care: A Clinical Training Program at the Visiting Nurse Service ofNew York (VNSNY): (Funder: Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation toVNSNY with a Hartford Institute sub-contract). To assure that VNSNY nurses are prepared and nationally certified in geriatrics. In this pilot, VNSNY is evaluating an educational program for nurses in the Long Term Home Health Care Program.

The Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training Project (GITT): Initially funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation in 1995, NYU College of Nursing continues to distribute resources on developing a geriatric interdisciplinary team.

Geriatric Nursing Summer Scholars and Fellows Program: Through a subcontract from American Academy of Nursing (AAN) (with funding from The John A Hartford Foundation), the Hartford Institute offers a week-long, intensive, annual summer research seminar to doctorally-prepared nurses to "jump start" their programs of research.

Developmental Research on Elder Mistreatment (Funder: NIH, R21; T. Fulmer, PI): A study is to screen 640 older adults who visit their doctors at 5 primary care clinics for elder mistreatment. The new model incorporates an elder mistreatment assessment instrument during the patient visit, administered by trained clinician screeners.

The College of Nursing's Latin American Projects, the Pan American (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Nursing Collaborating Center: The Hartford Institute collaborates with the College's Center for International Affairs, the base for the College's international activities in Latin America and around the world, and specifically with the PAHO Collaborating Center to deliver geriatric content throughout Latin America.

Training of advanced practice nurses in geriatrics (Funder, the Hearst Foundation): An endowment that supports tuition for students enrolled in the NYU College of Nursing Advanced Practice Program in Geriatrics.

Revised: March 8, 2010

 [1] American Academy of Nursing Expert Panel on Aging; American Assisted Living Nurses Association; American Association for Long Term Care Nursing; AANAC, Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association; The Hartford Institute; National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration in Long Term Care; National Gerontological Nursing Association.