Developing Project Healthy Grandparents© in Virginia:

African-American Grandmothers Raising GrandchildrenEthlyn McQueen-Gibson, RN, MSN, ACNS-BC – Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) Student at Ursuline College (Cleveland, OH) &

Clinical Performance, Manager for Riverside PACE (Newport News, VA)

Christine J. Jensen, PhD, Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health (Clinical Preceptor for DNP Student)

Background/Overview

September – December 2016

Role of the Doctorally-Prepared Nurse

Acknowledgement to Project Mentor:

Current statistics report there are more than two million African-American grandmothers serving as custodial caregivers for their grandchildren in the United States.

(US Census, 2013)

African-American grandparent caregivers are typically between the ages of 45-59, are more likely to:

Live in the South, live in poverty, live with two or more chronic diseases, and experience greater levels of stress than other grandparent caregivers . (Whitley, Lamis, & Kelley, 2016)

Have chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and be overweight/obese

(Kelley, Whitley, & Campos, 2013)

These caregivers face a multitude of challenges to include: health and financial difficulties, increased caregiver burden, increased stress, increased depression and poor health outcomes. (McCubbin, Thompson, Futrell, & McCubbin, 1997)

Deliver case management in the school based clinic

for grandmothers serving as caregivers

Improve management of chronic diseases

adversely affecting African-Americans:

Type 2 Diabetes

Hypertension

Congestive Heart Failure

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Decrease emergency room visits – and subsequent

hospital admissions

Current costs for inpatient hospitalization:

•Type 2 diabetes = $7900-$13,000

•Congestive heart failure = $8,000

•Uncontrolled hypertension = $31,000

Increase utilization of available but

underutilized/unknown community resources:

• Community Free Clinic of Newport News

• Community Care Collaborative

Program Overview to the Grandparents & Community Partners

Presentation of proposed project DNP Capstone Project to school administrators and potential grandmothers at the

Achievable Dream Academy :

Back to school nights and PTA forums to assess potential interest in participation and overview of benefit of

improving health outcomes through onsite case management services

Meeting with proposed community partners:Review their role in the areas of social work, pharmacy management, clinic collaboration , community support

Aims of the Proposed Project

Achievable Dream Academy

(www.achievabledream.nn.k12.va.us)

Elementary, Middle & High School

Newport News, Virginia

Riverside Health System Operates

School-Based Clinic:Riverside Health System Foundation partners with an

Achievable Dream Academy to fund and operate the

school based clinic. Unique features of the clinic include

health promotion and disease prevention.

These services are also available to family members

(current unmet need)

Setting for the Proposed Intervention

This advanced practice nurse assesses community needs, builds relationships and analyzes health stats and environmental data.

American Association Colleges of Nursing (AACN) – core essential for doctorate of nursing practice:

Essential VII – clinical prevention and population health for improving the nation’s health

Serve as an advocate to promote high quality and cost effective health care

Proposed Community Partners

Professor Susan Kelly, RN, PhD, FAAN & Staff

Director, Project Healthy Grandparents

Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions

Georgia State University - Atlanta, Georgia