ETSU Health named an ETSU Hero

ETSU Health was recognized as one of the inaugural heroes because of the system’s efforts to provide care throughout the pandemic.

The ETSU Health team also delivered some of the region's first doses of the COVID-19 vaccines and has continued to offer vaccine clinics.

East Tennessee State University celebrated the extraordinary and impactful stories of the inaugural recipients of the ETSU Heroes award during a ceremony held March 30, 2022. The ETSU Heroes recognition program honors the exemplary service of those who “embody excellence and contribute significant and innovative accomplishments” to the university.

ETSU Health is made up of students, faculty, clinicians, and staff from the five health sciences colleges: Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, Pharmacy, and Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences. The ETSU Health team stood on the front lines from the moment the pandemic began by establishing the region’s first drive-thru COVID-19 testing site and later opening the first COVID-19 community collection site that delivered molecular PCR test results within 24 hours. Students, faculty, and staff provided education and made items such as hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, and other products available.

‘Filling the gaps’ in health care

ETSU has been awarded $400,000 in federal funding to expand services in two ETSU Health College of Nursing primary care clinics in Hancock County.

The Rural Expansion Program for At-risk Communities to Promote Health Outcomes through the Integration of Mental Health and Enabling Services (REACH ME) project is led by Dr. Kim Ferguson, Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing. It will address the critical need for the integration of mental health and enabling services in the provision of comprehensive care to children, youth, families, and the community.

The two-year project, funded at $200,000 per year, is part of nearly $25 million awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to improve and strengthen access to school-based health services across the country. The Health Center Program Service Expansion: School-Based Service Sites Awards support local partnerships between schools and health centers to provide comprehensive care to the community.

According to the HHS, health centers will use this funding to reduce disparities and improve access to care by increasing essential health care, including mental health services, and for such activities as community and patient outreach, health education, and translation support.

The other inaugural heroes were Patti Marlow, Zachary Olsen, Derek Patton, and Kelvin Tarukwasha.

In addition, Ballad Health received special recognition for the health care heroes risking personal health and providing steadfast leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ETSU Heroes celebration will become an annual event on campus, recognizing the work that often takes place behind the scenes to make ETSU and the community a better place to live, work, and study.

“Our program seeks to add these much-needed services to ‘fill the gaps’ in health care that many communities across the nation are encountering,” Ferguson said. “The ability to offer these services to the community will deliver a unique access to care and provide a patientcentered approach.

“These clinics have a long-standing relationship in Hancock County and are some of the most distinctive in the nation, holding designations as federally funded qualified health centers and providing primary care services in a geographically isolated, rural, and medically underserved area.”

The Hancock County Middle/High School-Based Health Center opened in 1995 to meet the need for pediatric physical examinations, developmental screening, health promotion and disease prevention programs, mental health counseling, laboratory testing, and referrals and follow-up. The Elementary School-Based Health Center opened about five years later. ETSU’s family nurse practitioners and other health care professionals at both clinics see patients of all ages.