SIUE's WE CARE clinic boosted by $2.6 million HRSA grant

EDWARDSVILLE - The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing (SON) has been awarded a four-year grant worth $2.6 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in support of its WE CARE Clinic.

The WE CARE Clinic provides primary patient care on the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus. The grant will support the training of undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students and registered nurses in the local community in caring for clients in the community-based primary care, nurse-managed clinic.

Through the grant, SIUE students will focus on primary chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, tobacco use, mental health and substance abuse.

“The SIUE School of Nursing is thrilled to have received this funding from HRSA, as it will further enhance the WE CARE Clinic’s ability to offer citizens in the East St. Louis and surrounding communities, much needed patient-centered healthcare services focused on helping clients achieve improved self-management and follow-up care,” said SON Dean Laura Bernaix, PhD, RN.

Advanced practice nurses, a collaborating physician, a licensed clinical social worker, and a doctorally-prepared pharmacist provide full services to the WE CARE Clinic’s diverse clients. Along with students, the healthcare team works to promote chronic disease self-management by providing follow-up services, additional resources, client education and home management strategies to clients within the community.

“Each member of the WE CARE Clinic team believes that all patients deserve holistic, culturally competent care,” said SON Associate Dean Roberta Harrison, PhD. “One of the goals of this grant is to help nursing students and RNs in the community recognize the value in choosing a community-based practice in place of the traditional option in acute care facilities.”

A complete list of services available at the WE CARE Clinic can be found at siue.edu/nursing/we-care-clinic. These include new and unique offerings, such as:

• The Asthma Trigger Assessment Program offers home trigger assessments and sponsors local events such as asthma care camps for children and their families
• Chronic diabetes management classes are available to the community through the support of a 2017 SIUE Meridian Society grant
• Counseling services and anger management classes are offered by a licensed clinical social worker

The WE CARE Clinic is located at 601 James R. Thompson Blvd., Building D, Suite 2015 in East St. Louis. It is open from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Appointments are available by calling 618-482-6959. Walk-ins are welcome.

HRSA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary Federal agency for improving access to healthcare by strengthening the healthcare workforce, building healthy communities and achieving health equity. HRSA awards grants to organizations to improve and expand healthcare services for underserved people.

The SIUE School of Nursing’s programs are committed to creating excellence in nursing leadership through innovative teaching, evidence-based practice, quality research, patient advocacy and community service. Enrolling nearly 1,400 students in its baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders in pursuit of shaping the nursing profession and impacting the health care environment. SIUE’s undergraduate nursing programs on the Edwardsville campus and the regional campus in Carbondale help to solve the region’s shortage of baccalaureate-prepared nurses and enhance the quality of nursing practice within all patient service venues. The School’s graduate programs prepare nurses for advanced roles in clinical practice, administration and education.

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