Bridging Team-Based Care

New Integrated Health Services Building planned

The roots of ETSU’s interprofessional education initiatives trace back to the early 1990s when the W.K. Kellogg Foundation awarded its first grant to the colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and (then) Public and Allied Health, to launch the interdisciplinary Community Partnerships for Health Professions Education Program.

Those roots flourished.

Today, the university is regarded as a national leader in interprofessional education (IPE). One of the most recent advances at the institution was the opening of Bishop Hall on the VA Campus. This state-of-the-art facility serves as a hub for collaboration among ETSU’s five health sciences colleges. Interprofessional health care teams enhance the quality of patient care by lowering costs, decreasing length of stay, and reducing medical errors.

The next chapter – the creation of a major Integrated Health Services Building – will be a game changer, taking the IPE model from the classroom to the clinical setting. This new project will bring the skills and teamwork developed in the simulation lab to the clinical setting and serve as the capstone of ETSU’s commitment to interprofessional education between its health sciences colleges.

“Creation of this new clinical building will allow for alignment of our practice with our teachings by delivering top quality, team-based care, in a state-ofthe-art facility,” said Dr. Bill Block, Vice President for Clinical Affairs and Dean of Medicine. “Previously delivering similar care within legacy clinics has prepared us to take the next step in care integration and remain the leader in the region.”

According to Block, this $43.9 million facility will deliver best-in-class health care to the community in addition to offering students an authentic training environment. Providing students with a clinical setting to work as a team in real-world conditions will help them become exceptional clinicians in their respective disciplines.

“The building will promote synergies and partnerships, leading to improved community health and workforce development,” Block said.

The Integrated Health Services Building will be uniquely designed to support the team-based care model. The facility will have spaces allowing for collaboration and discussion while maintaining patient privacy. Services provided in the Integrated Health Services Building will include Family Medicine, Addiction Medicine, Diabetes Management, Physical and Sports Medicine, Dental Hygiene, and Social Work.

The 60,155-square-foot facility is currently in the design phase. Though the State of Tennessee has awarded some funding of the project, the college must raise $3.5 million. To learn more, or to discuss making a gift to the project, contact John King, Associate Vice President for University Advancement, at (423) 439-5933.