The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey (HFNJ) has awarded Seton Hall’s College of Nursing a $180,563 grant to support a new partnership with the North Jersey Community Research Initiative (NJCRI), a Newark-based community health organization.
The funding will establish a full-time nurse practitioner as a dedicated preceptor for up to six psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) students each year. While providing students guidance throughout the program, the clinician will maintain an annual caseload of at least 150 patients, helping address patients’ most pressing behavioral health needs.
The grant will benefit both students and the community by expanding clinical training to meet the growing needs of the community, according to Dr. Kristi Stinson, interim dean of SHU’s College of Nursing.
“The funding is going to place a full-time psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at our community partner in Newark,” Stinson said. “So they will have guaranteed clinical placement with that person at that facility, and also work with them to meet the needs of the community.”
The focus on the PMHNP program comes as the need for mental healthcare providers is on the rise in Newark, Stinson said.
“There is a direct need to expand the amount of psychiatric mental health healthcare providers to meet the growing mental health needs of the communities and the state,” she said. “That's really why we wanted to focus on this particular program.”
Stinson said she hopes this program will deliver direct mental health services to the “underserved community” in Newark while also opening up new opportunities for students.
“We want [clinicians] to be able to deliver direct mental health needs for the community, but also provide clinical training placements for at least four to six of our psychiatric mental health students every semester,” she said.
The program allows students to expand upon what they learn in the classroom by providing direct community experience with mobile health services and other community mental healthcare services.
“It's direct hands-on experience in the community," Stinson said. “And again, this is a unique opportunity because it's specifically in an underserved community, where the needs for mental health services are so high.”
A representative from NJCRI told The Setonian the importance of involving students in community-based programs to immerse them in local needs.
“By having students participate at community health centers, it gives them a different perspective of what’s really going on in the community, not just in a hospital or medical clinic, private practice,” the NJCRI representative said. “It really shows what goes on at the grassroots level.”
Michela DiLorenzo is a writer for The Setonian’s News section. She can be reached at michela.dilorenzo@student.shu.edu.
