Mason and Partners Clinic

George Mason College of Public Health Professor Rebecca Sutter awarded $3 million Services to Afghan Survivors Impacted by Combat Program grant

Taylor Thomas — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 14:41:04 +0000

George Mason College of Public Health Professor Rebecca Sutter awarded $3 million Services to Afghan Survivors Impacted by Combat Program grant Taylor Thomas Fri, 09/13/2024 - 10:41

Afghan victims of combat arrive in the United States as refugees with unique health care needs. Rebecca Sutter, professor in the School of Nursing at ��AV, has been awarded a $3 million Services to Afghan Survivors Impacted by Combat (SASIC) grant to develop health service delivery infrastructure for Afghan survivors, refugees, and immigrants impacted by combat trauma and violence. The program, titled Healing and Educating Afghans for Resiliency-Virginia (HEAR-VA), will serve Afghan refugees residing in Northern and Central Virginia, where an estimated 95% of Afghans resettled in 2022.

HEAR-VA seeks to screen 500 individuals for eligibility and enroll 305 participants in care services.

Photo provided

“We are implementing a care coordination model where individuals, regardless of which HEAR-VA partner they interact with first, will receive screenings, and be connected with services that address their individualized care needs,” Sutter said. "What’s especially important is this program will be built not just for, but in partnership with actual Afghan survivors of combat and other refugees who are impacted by trauma and violence."

The SASIC grant was awarded from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The mission of ORR is to provide newly arrived refugees from Afghanistan with resources to begin healing combat-related trauma and facilitate sustainable physical, emotional, social, and economic well-being.

This interdisciplinary HEAR-VA initiative will be managed by the Mason and Partners Clinic in partnership with Virginia Department of Social Services Office of New Americans (DSS-ONA), the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Office of Behavioral Health Wellness (DBHDS-OBHW), Health Brigade, Northern Virginia Family Services, and additional community partners. The program went into effect July 2024 and will extend through February 2026.

“This collection of partners is dedicated to creating an innovative program that will be community-based, community-driven, and community-led. We are building local capacity to serve vulnerable populations, not just for the duration of the grant, but long after we as the implementers have departed,” Sutter said.

In addition to her role as a professor in the School of Nursing, Sutter is the director of the Mason and Partners (MAP) Clinics. She is a credentialed Family Nurse Practitioner with expertise in community health care access and navigation to improve care and promote collaboration between public health, public safety, and health to ensure that evidence-based treatment is available for at-risk and marginalized individuals, families, communities, and populations.

Discover the nursing program at George Mason

In This Story

Rebecca Sutter, DNP, APRN, BC-FNP

Topics

Refugees

immigrants and refugee communities

Access to Health Services

Community Partners

Mason and Partners Clinic

Learning Laboratory for Community Health prepares graduate students to solve real-world public health challenges

Taylor Thomas — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 15:55:33 +0000

Learning Laboratory for Community Health prepares graduate students to solve real-world public health challenges Taylor Thomas Wed, 06/05/2024 - 11:55

The Learning Laboratory for Community Health at ��AV held the first in-person Learning Lab Challenge at the Inaugural Empowered Communities Conference. For the challenge, graduate research assistants (GRAs) were tasked with developing an intervention that addressed the very real public health issue of opioid use disorder among adolescents and young adults.

Over the semester, GRAs worked in interdisciplinary teams, with community stakeholders providing insights into their research process and conducting interviews with affected youth and families to determine how to best meet the community's health needs.

Ashley Wiest

“We were excited to showcase student milestones achieved, challenges overcome, and collective triumphs that define our community journey toward a healthier, more equitable future,” said Ashley Wiest, a research faculty member in the College of Public Health and the Learning Lab project coordinator.

The challenge concluded with GRAs presenting their interventions to a panel of experts, who evaluated and selected the intervention that will be implemented at the Mason and Partners (MAP) clinics. The experts included

Kadhambari Sridhar, Community Preparedness Coordinator at the Fairfax County Health Department;
Jennifer Felts, Population Health Epidemiologist specializing in substance use and mental health; and
Shannyn Snyder, an adjunct faculty in the Department of Global and Community renowned for her expertise in socioeconomic disparities and social justice issues.

Under the guidance of Lisa Gring-Pemble, an associate professor in the Costello College of Business, the winning intervention, titled "Club Culmore: A Place-Based Wellness Model for Adolescents and Young Adults," was designed by three GRAs:

Shams Hadi Al Jassar, biology major and pre-medical student
Olivia Hutton, Master of Health Administration student
Eyesha Shaikh, Master of Social Work student

Shams Hadi Al Jassar

Olivia Hutton

Eyesha Shaikh

Club Culmore presents a comprehensive seven-step approach to wellness. From mental health services to tailored social media campaigns, workforce skill development, and a dedicated medication-assisted treatment (MAT) clinic, this innovative proposal promises to address the opioid epidemic through community collaboration and tailored services for at-risk youth.

“It was rewarding to celebrate the transformative impact our Mason students have had on the landscape of community health. Their dedication, resilience, and unwavering commitment to excellence have enhanced their individual growth and enriched our community,” said Wiest.

The Learning Lab was created with support from a $1 million Health Services Research grant, made possible by Congressman Gerry Connolly of Virginia's 11th District, who shepherded the proposal through Congress. Rebecca Sutter serves as the grant's project director and principle investigator. The mission of the Learning Laboratory is to support multidisciplinary training for public health students and professionals, with special attention to marginalized communities within Northern Virginia.

The Learning Lab’s impact on students and the community

Since its inception, the Learning Laboratory has been highly successful. In the second year of the lab, students reported the lab

increased their knowledge of community stakeholders,
increased confidence in discussing core public health topics, and
significantly improved their critical thinking skills related to community health, networking and research, problem-solving, and professional development.

“The Learning Lab is dedicated to equipping students with the multifaceted skills essential for success in the workforce after graduation. Our teaching models foster proficiency in research, interviewing, data collection, administrative tasks, and community resource utilization alongside technological competencies, thus nurturing a generation of adept community health professionals,” said Wiest.

Read the Lab’s 2023-24 Impact Report.

In This Story

Shannyn Snyder, MAIS

Ashley Wiest, DNP, FNP-BC

Rebecca Sutter, DNP, APRN, BC-FNP

Lisa M. Gring-Pemble

Topics

experiential learning

Impact

Community Health

Mason and Partners Clinic

Public Health Students

Mason and Partner Clinics see 189% increase in appointments since 2018 and delivered $3.8 million in free services to the community

mthomp7 — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 13:14:41 +0000

Mason and Partner Clinics see 189% increase in appointments since 2018 and delivered $3.8 million in free services to the community mthomp7 Wed, 10/04/2023 - 09:14

Rebcca Sutter discusses the opioid services offered at the MAP Clinics with Representative Jennifer Wexton.

Empowered Communities Opioid Partnership extends Mason’s efforts to reduce overdoses for those involved in the criminal justice system

Rebecca Sutter, professor in the School of Nursing and director of the Mason and Partner Clinics also oversees the Empowered Communities Opioid Partnership (ECOP) – a $2.8 million initiative serving five local health districts (Prince William, Chesterfield, Crater, Portsmouth, and Norfolk) with the goal of reducing opioid-related overdose deaths, non-fatal overdoses, and adverse health consequences among those newly released from jail or prison.

“The chance of overdose or relapsing can be up to 129% higher in the two weeks after release, so we are committed to working with partners in the criminal justice and community-based systems of care to connect high-risk individuals quickly and with low barriers to the care they need,” said Sutter. ECOP has screened more than 950 patients to date and is looking at opening a dedicated Center in early 2024.

In This Story

Rebecca Sutter, DNP, APRN, BC-FNP

Mason and Partner Clinics see 189% increase in appointments since 2018 and delivered $3.8 million in free services to the community

Economic downturn and reductions in Medicaid coverage drive demand for free wellness, preventative, and COVID-related services.

For the past five years, the Mason and Partner (MAP) Clinics have filled an important gap in community health services. In close partnership with area health districts and other service providers, the MAP Clinics have responded to community need with increased accessibility, expanded services, and unwavering support.

During the COVID-19 pandemic alone, the nine MAP Clinics delivered more than 58,220 vaccines and 6,650 COVID tests – providing more than $3,800,000 in free services to the community. The pandemic not only increased demand for health care – it raised awareness about the valuable services offered by the MAP Clinics.

MAP Clinic faculty and staff built deep trust and relationships within the communities they serve – which created a natural place to seek care when economic challenges and/or Medicaid reductions adversely affected vulnerable populations. In addition, the MAP Clinics placed a greater emphasis on preventive care and education post-pandemic to help patients manage their health conditions before they become severe.

“To best meet the needs of the community, the MAP Clinics continually seek new collaborations and partnerships with grassroot community organizations and government agencies. With the deepening opioid crisis, we’ve expanded access for those suffering from this horrible disease through expansion of our Medication for Opioid Use clinics and have expanded our network of peer-recovery support specialists to further assist those struggling with addiction,” says Rebecca Sutter, professor in the School of Nursing and director of the Mason and Partner Clinics.

Topics

MAP Clinic

Mason and Partners Clinic

Iqra Hamayoun Ahmed, MSHI, ACTTP

John Brandon Cantrell — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 18:41:32 +0000

Iqra Hamayoun Ahmed, MSHI, ACTTP John Brandon C… Thu, 11/03/2022 - 14:41

Health Information Systems MAP Clinic Coordinator, HAP

Contact Information

Email: ihamayou@gmu.edu

Personal Websites

Orcid

Biography

Mrs. Iqra Hamayoun is the Health Information Systems MAP Clinic Coordinator in the Department of Health Administration and Policy. Hamayoun also serves as the Clinical Informatics Data Manager and HAP Preceptor for the Mason and Partners (MAP) Clinics, Population Health Center, and special projects operating through the college. Hamayoun’s research interests include working with vulnerable populations and analyzing community and population-based healthcare to create better services for underserved patient populations.

Hamayoun started her journey with Mason during her undergraduate degree, fell in love with the community within, and never left! After conducting her clinical informatics internship with MAP, she never left her home away from home. Hamayoun proceeded to grow with the clinics starting as the Health Informatics Supervisor, HAP Preceptor, and now Clinical Informatics Data Manager while obtaining her master’s degree in Health Informatics. Prior to coming to Mason, Hamayoun worked in the health field providing administrative support and EMR management to medical facilities.

As a part of the Mason community, Hamayoun was working with the MAP Clinics through her undergraduate degree and her Masters degree as a preceptor for undergraduate and graduate capstone students. She worked her way up from intern, to preceptor, to data manager and now faculty for Mason.

Grants

"Empowered Communities Opioid Project (ECOP)," Virginia Department of Health (Prime: DHHS CPIMP171154). Sutter, R. (Principal Investigator), June 2020- February 2023. Role: Data Manager.
“Mason Data and Technology Driven Public Health AmeriCorps Training Program,” Sutter, R. and Wojtusiak, J. (Principal Investigator), August 2022. Role: Data Manager.
"Nurse Education Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR)," HRSA UK1HP31716. Sutter, R. (Principal Investigator), July 2020-June 2022. Role: Data Manager.
“Latent TB Project [LTBI] (Virginia Department of Health),” Harvey, M. (Principal Investigator). Role: Data Manager.
“Mason and Partners Free Health Clinic General Operating [MAP Clinic] (Potomac Health Foundation),” Sutter, R (Principal Investigator). Role: Data Manager.

Affiliations

Member, Upsilon Phi Delta Honor Society (UPD)
Member, HIMSS

Awards

Excellence Award, ��AV, May 2021

Degrees

MSHI, Health Informatics – Data Analytics, ��AV
BS, Health Administration and Policy – Health informatics, ��AV

Virginia Elected Officials Praise ��AV’s Mason and Partners Clinic Located in Prince William Shelter

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 14:16:31 +0000

Virginia Elected Officials Praise ��AV’s Mason and Partners Clinic Located in Prince William Shelter Mary Cunningham Wed, 08/31/2022 - 10:16

National, state, and county leaders learned about the Mason and Partner Clinics, which prepare students to serve vulnerable populations and increase access to care for marginalized communities.

Community partnerships and community-based care play an integral role in addressing the growing shortage of health care workers and the increasing demand for low-cost or free care among vulnerable populations across the Commonwealth of Virginia. At a shelter for unhoused individuals in Woodbridge, Mason and Partners (MAP) Clinic staff work alongside the Department of Social Services and the Prince William County Health Department to deliver care and educate students.

On Thursday, August 24 a delegation of state and local leaders visited the Mason and Partners Clinics to discuss how the MAP Clinics’ network of 10 clinics in Fairfax and Prince William counties helps serve underrepresented communities.

The delegation included: U.S. Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (VA - 7^th District), Senator Jeremy McPike (VA - 29^th District); Delegate Elizabeth Guzman (VA - 31^st District), and Woodbridge District Supervisor, Margaret Franklin.

"The MAP Clinics are important partners in the communities we serve. The unique bridge-care model and co-location in places such as shelters address community gaps in service,” said Cheryl Oetjen, Interim Director of George Mason’s School of Nursing. The MAP Clinics are offered by the ��AV College of Health and Human Services and School of Nursing.

“We provide care for vulnerable populations here in the community – delivering services – such as treating acute and chronic conditions and monthly preventative health screenings –that they might not otherwise receive. In addition, students’ clinical opportunities at the MAP Clinics prepare the next generation of nurses, social workers, informaticists, and nutritionists to work with marginalized populations. This reduces the stigma and increases the likelihood of students caring for vulnerable populations throughout their careers," said Rebecca Sutter, Professor and Director of the MAP Clinics explained.

MAP Clinic staff discussed the importance of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grants to fund on-going curriculum development and training so Mason students are prepared to serve marginalized communities. MAP Clinics play a critical role in increasing access to care and linking clients to community systems of support for ongoing care, and helping patients navigate the health care system.

The delegation also examined the robust telehealth capabilities that the MAP Clinic expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The MAP Clinic shelter site has had 428 telehealth visits over the past year providing acute and chronic disease education and management including access to needed medications. Federal funding for telehealth has grown since 2020 to meet growing demand for access.

“The new and emerging technology implemented at the MAP Clinic was as exciting as it was innovative. In the U.S. House of Representatives, I am committed to caring for underserved Virginians,” said Congresswoman Spanberger. Spanberger, a strong advocate for funding mental and behavioral health services for the most vulnerable, voted for the American Rescue Plan and authored the bipartisan Summer Barrow Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Act, which recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"We met with undergraduate and graduate students [at the MAP Clinic] who have hands-on experience while pursuing their degrees. I believe this is a win-win for them, but also for our most vulnerable residents while we have a shortage of healthcare professionals in our area. Everyone deserves access to health care and the MAP Clinic is helping all vulnerable residents. Thank you for all that you do," said Delegate Guzman. Guzman expressed her on-going commitment to helping find a permanent location and on-going funding for the MAP Clinic to help more individuals in need.

“The MAP Clinics’ impact reinforces the role of partnerships in serving the region and meeting the changing needs of the health workforce. The College continues to recruit, train, and graduate faculty and students who are committed to health equity and increased access to care,” said Dean Melissa Perry.

Since starting the shelter-based clinic in Woodbridge, the MAP Clinic has seen an increase in the number of clients who advocate for themselves, utilize Clinic services, and request appointments. There has been a 40% increase in MAP Clinic service utilization from 2021 to 2022. Over the last two years, the Clinic has provided care for 543 patients and have documented a 69% reduction in emergency room visits for shelter clients.

College of Health and Human Services faculty and staff present at the meeting included:

Melissa Perry, Dean, College of Health and Human Services
Cheryl Oetjen, Interim Director of the School of Nursing
Rebecca Sutter, Professor and Director of the MAP Clinics
Mary Righi, Operations Coordinator
Samba Pathak, Operations Support
Shanti Chang, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Jennifer McKee, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) MAP Clinic Graduate Research Assistant, Shelter lead
Grace Stover, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) MAP Clinic Graduate Research Assistant, Shelter lead
Brian Longo, Bachelor of Science, Nursing and Community Health student

Topics

CHHS

MAP Clinic

Mason and Partners Clinic

School of Nursing

Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans, has committed $175,000 to advance ��AV’s community health initiatives.

mthomp7 — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 19:31:58 +0000

Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans, has committed $175,000 to advance ��AV’s community health initiatives. mthomp7 Wed, 06/02/2021 - 15:31

Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans, has committed $175,000 to advance ��AV’s community health initiatives.

The grant, jointly supporting the Mason and Partners Clinics (MAP Clinics) and the Business for a Better World Center, will enable Mason to serve as the lead anchor partner in a collaborative initiative to remove barriers to health and expand access for residents in the Bailey’s Crossroads/Culmore neighborhood of Fairfax County.

The grant extends Kaiser Permanente’s partnership with Mason, which began in 2019 with a $500,000 investment to establish the Kaiser Permanente Community Wellness Hub in partnership with Mason’s College of Health and Human Services Population Health Center.

“Kaiser Permanente is honored to expand our partnership with ��AV, an organization that shares our mission for improving the health of the communities we serve,” said Tonga Turner, interim executive director of Community Health at Kaiser Permanente. “Collaboration with organizations like Mason is critical to transform Northern Virginia communities such as Bailey’s Crossroads and Culmore into places where residents have equitable access to high-quality health care, nutritious food, good jobs and thriving schools.”

MAP clinics serve the uninsured and refugee community in Prince William and Fairfax counties. Located in Manassas, Springfield, and Culmore, these bridge-care model clinics provide free health care, school physicals, screenings, and mental health services for people living in low-income and medically underserved areas.

“We are excited about our continued collaboration with Kaiser Permanente in the delivery of care with attention to the social determinants of health on behalf of vulnerable populations to ensure health equity,” added Dr. Germaine Louis, dean of the College of Health and Human Services.

The grant establishes Mason as the lead partner organization in Northern Virginia for Kaiser Permanente’s Mid-Atlantic Community Network (MACN), launched in partnership with Unite Us, a shared technology platform available to community organizations to serve social health needs ranging from food access and housing assistance to workforce development and healthcare services. The MACN has launched in D.C., suburban Maryland and Greater Baltimore, and is scheduled to launch in Northern Virginia this June.

Since 2018, Kaiser Permanente has led a community-based initiative to address health disparities in the Bailey’s/Culmore community and create access to the resources people need to thrive. Local community organizations involved in the initiative include Columbia Baptist Church, the Medical Care for Children Partnership Foundation, Culmore Clinic, St. Anthony’s Parish, Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center and Just Neighbors, along with county leadership, local businesses and philanthropic organizations. Accomplishments have included partnering with local food pantries to deliver hundreds of pounds of food to those in-need and connecting more than 200 Bailey’s/Culmore residents with low or no-cost medical care.

Those community-based efforts will also benefit from a partnership with Mason’s Business for a Better World Center, which focuses on preparing tomorrow’s business leaders to further the common good.

“Even more than other businesses, the business of health needs to focus on the well-being of our community,” said Maury Peiperl, dean of Mason’s School of Business. “This is an opportunity to activate our substantial industry network to fuel economic development and entrepreneurship in the region. Kaiser Permanente is known as a leader for moving health forward, and partnering on this initiative is another way we are using business as a force for good.”

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, about 240,000 people in Northern Virginia were underinsured or lacked health insurance, and 160,000 lived in poverty. The pandemic has increased levels of unemployment, as well as housing and food insecurity across the region. Unemployment spiked in Fairfax County by more than 5% over the past year, and the number of county residents seeking emergency food assistance doubled.

Topics

MAP Clinic

Mason and Partners Clinic

Campus News

Business for a Better World Center

Business for a Better World Center News

Business for a Better World Work in the News

CHHS News

Prince William Times: Mason and Partners Clinic to hold no-appointment needed coronavirus vaccine clinic. Michelle Thompson quoted.

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 18:50:08 +0000

Prince William Times: Mason and Partners Clinic to hold no-appointment needed coronavirus vaccine clinic. Michelle Thompson quoted. Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/17/2021 - 14:50

In This Story

Michelle L. Thompson, MBA

Manassas Park clinic to hold walk-up, no appointment COVID-19 vaccine clinic for eligible seniors, frontline workers

Topics

CHHS in the Media

Mason and Partners Clinic

College of Health and Human Services School of Nursing

College of Health and Human Services

Wexton praises Mason and Partners’ Manassas Park clinic in visit Wednesday

Colleen Rich — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 10:00:02 +0000

Wexton praises Mason and Partners’ Manassas Park clinic in visit Wednesday Colleen Rich Thu, 02/20/2020 - 05:00

Mason and Partners Clinic

George Mason College of Public Health Professor Rebecca Sutter awarded $3 million Services to Afghan Survivors Impacted by Combat Program grant

Discover the nursing program at George Mason

In This Story

Related News

Topics

Learning Laboratory for Community Health prepares graduate students to solve real-world public health challenges

In This Story

Related Stories

Topics

Mason and Partner Clinics see 189% increase in appointments since 2018 and delivered $3.8 million in free services to the community

In This Story

Mason and Partner Clinics see 189% increase in appointments since 2018 and delivered $3.8 million in free services to the community

Topics

Iqra Hamayoun Ahmed, MSHI, ACTTP

Contact Information

Personal Websites

Biography

Grants

Affiliations

Awards

Degrees

Virginia Elected Officials Praise ��AV’s Mason and Partners Clinic Located in Prince William Shelter

National, state, and county leaders learned about the Mason and Partner Clinics, which prepare students to serve vulnerable populations and increase access to care for marginalized communities.

Topics

Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans, has committed $175,000 to advance ��AV’s community health initiatives.

Topics

Prince William Times: Mason and Partners Clinic to hold no-appointment needed coronavirus vaccine clinic. Michelle Thompson quoted.

In This Story

Topics

Wexton praises Mason and Partners’ Manassas Park clinic in visit Wednesday

Mason and Partners Clinic

George Mason College of Public Health Professor Rebecca Sutter awarded $3 million Services to Afghan Survivors Impacted by Combat Program grant

Discover the nursing program at George Mason

In This Story

Related News

Topics

Learning Laboratory for Community Health prepares graduate students to solve real-world public health challenges

In This Story

Related Stories

Topics

Mason and Partner Clinics see 189% increase in appointments since 2018 and delivered $3.8 million in free services to the community

In This Story

Mason and Partner Clinics see 189% increase in appointments since 2018 and delivered $3.8 million in free services to the community

Topics

Iqra Hamayoun Ahmed, MSHI, ACTTP

Contact Information

Personal Websites

Biography

Grants

Affiliations

Awards

Degrees

Virginia Elected Officials Praise ����AV’s Mason and Partners Clinic Located in Prince William Shelter

National, state, and county leaders learned about the Mason and Partner Clinics, which prepare students to serve vulnerable populations and increase access to care for marginalized communities.

Topics

Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans, has committed $175,000 to advance ����AV’s community health initiatives.

Topics

Prince William Times: Mason and Partners Clinic to hold no-appointment needed coronavirus vaccine clinic. Michelle Thompson quoted.

In This Story

Topics

Wexton praises Mason and Partners’ Manassas Park clinic in visit Wednesday

Virginia Elected Officials Praise ��AV’s Mason and Partners Clinic Located in Prince William Shelter

Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans, has committed $175,000 to advance ��AV’s community health initiatives.