LANSING, Mich. – The Wayne State University College of Nursing is part of a $1.5 million grant awarded to the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop an Advanced Practice Nurse Leader primary care model for overweight and obese patients. The three-year project is designed to improve health outcomes for this population in two medically underserved areas in Michigan--Detroit and Grand Rapids. 

The MDCH, the Wayne State University College of Nursing, Grand Valley State University’s Office of the Vice Provost for Health and Kirkhof College of Nursing, the Michigan Area Health Education Center, and the Michigan Health Council will partner to develop a team-based approach to care for obese children, students and adults. This will take place at two university-affiliated nurse-managed primary care clinics, the Wayne State University Campus Health Center and the Grand Valley State University Family Health Center.  Nursing, social work and dietetics students and staff will collaborate on an innovative program of health promotion, care delivery and wellness measures for patients with obesity-related health conditions. The aim is to expand primary care services for overweight and obese patients by increasing interdisciplinary clinical training opportunities for health professions students.     

Michigan ranks eighth in the nation for adult obesity with a rate of 31.7 percent; 67 percent of the state’s resident adults are obese or overweight. Recognizing this as a major public health problem facing Michigan, Governor Rick Snyder has called on MDCH to develop a plan to reduce obesity. The program will be evaluated and patient outcomes tracked to improve primary care and clinical training for health professionals statewide.  HRSA is the primary federal agency for enhancing access to health care for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 29,000 students.