KC CARE clinic and UMKC get grant to collaborate

Several UMKC health schools will try out a new approach to collaborative care at the KC CARE Clinic on Broadway under a three-year federal grant.

The UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies and the Schools of Dentistry, Pharmacy and Social Work received a three-year federal grant of $722,000 to fund the creation of an interprofessional collaborative model at the Midtown clinic, according to a university press release.

It will allow clinical teams including the various professions to improve interpersonal communication and ethical decision making for medically underserved people at the clinic.

Clinical teams from UMKC’s schools of nursing and health studies, pharmacy, dentistry and social work will work together on the cases.

“A team approach to patient care is so beneficial to patient outcomes.” Carol Varland, Vice President of General Medicine at the KC CAREClinic, said.

“This grant is a powerful opportunity for four UMKC schools to collaborate and aligns with our strategic efforts to alleviate the growing health disparities gap in the urban core of Kansas City,” said Ann Cary, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Studies.

The services will be provided at the Kansas City CARE Clinic at 3515 Broadway, formerly called the Kansas City Free Health Clinic.

Leo Morton, UMKC chancellor, said, “This is another example of innovative collaboration that better serves the underserved in our community.”