Grant's Goal Is to Improve the Health of Arkansans Who Lack Easy Access to Primary Care Services

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U of A student Crystal Baker is among ANEW grant recipients who work as nurses in underserved areas.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas nursing professors Marilou Shreve and Anna Jarrett recently received a 4-year, $2.8 million Health Resources and Services Administration grant that will continue a program that places students in immersive clinical experiences in rural or underserved primary care settings.

Shreve, project director, said the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing will partner with Washington Regional Medical System and continue to work with the Veterans Administration of Central Arkansas to serve veterans across the state.  

The Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) grant focuses on family nurse practitioner students who are working toward their Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The grant will provide funding for these students so they can focus on academic requirements.

Not only does the grant money help students, but the overall project goal is to improve the health of veterans and other Arkansans who don't have easy access to primary care services. This grant helps ensure that a sufficient number of highly educated, clinically-skilled family nurse practitioners are available in these areas, Shreve said. One specific focus is on developing strategies to combat the opioid crisis.

Crystal Baker, an ANEW student who will graduate in May 2020, is doing clinical rotations at Kirkland Family Medical Center in Dardanelle.

"This clinic is an amazing asset to the Dardanelle community, and the providers there have been amazing preceptors," Baker said. "It's a great learning environment."

Baker said her grant pays for tuition, up to $600 a semester for books, and an additional $3,000 a semester for living expenses.

Nurses in the program collaborate regularly with grant partners and participants to maintain ongoing communication and to exchange information.