School of Nursing Awarded USDA Grant The School of Nursing (SON) was recently awarded the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The $65,300 grant will be used for the SON project "Expanding the Nursing Workforce to Ensure Best Practices in Rural Healthcare." "This project aligns with the mission of the School of Nursing with a focus on vulnerable populations," said Dr. Sara Campbell, dean of the SON. "Implementation of this project will assist us in addressing the unique needs of rural populations." The SON will be using the funds to implement equipment and new simulation scenarios that include a grandfather, mother, and child. They also purchased a Horus Scope, a hand-held video system that is used in nursing telehealth to provide virtual healthcare services. The SON also received $5,000 from the William J. Chatlos Foundation to fund faculty support for curriculum development and outreach to rural healthcare providers. This includes faculty lead attendance at the National Rural Health Association Annual Rural Health Conference in New Mexico. Dr. Charlotte Webb, associate dean of the SON, is overseeing the faculty planning team for the project, led by Amy Moody, lecturer in nursing at Lee. The project also includes establishment of a Rural Health Advisory Council, which will collaborate with regional employers to identify rural healthcare needs. "While the School of Nursing curriculum has always included rural health, this project provides a specific opportunity to focus on the care of a rural family across the program," said Webb. "The nursing faculty are developing curriculum and simulation scenarios focused on best practices in rural areas. This curriculum will help prepare nurses and cultivate workplace development by providing opportunities for increased experience and skills specific to needs in rural healthcare." The USDA Rural Development program provides grants for rural projects that finance and facilitate development of small and emerging rural businesses, help fund distance learning networks, and help fund employment related adult education programs. The Rural Business Development Grant is a competitive grant designed to support targeted technical assistance, training, and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas. For more information about the USDA Rural Development, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/. For more information about the Rural Business Development Grant, visit. https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-programs/rural-business-development-grants. For more information about Lee's School of Nursing, visit https://www.leeuniversity.edu/academics/nursing/.
PHOTO: Pictured here with two of the manikin simulators that comprise the three-person rural family unit purchased with the USDA grant are (left to right) Dr. Charlotte Webb; Krisalaun Battle, USDA area specialist; Arlisa Armstrong, Tennessee state director for USDA-RD; Randall, the grandfather manikin; Amy Moody; Stephen Sargent, area director for USDA; Cody, the grandson manikin, and Charles Kimbrough, technician with USDA. (Candy, Cody's mother, is not pictured.)
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