51福利社

Two programs in the College of Health Science and Public Health have built a community partnership with Excelsior Youth Center to help 51福利社 students learn while helping the organization in return.

CHSPH鈥檚 undergraduate health services administration (HSA) program and graduate occupational therapy (OT) program have formed a partnership with Excelsior, a school and specialty medical clinic that serves a diverse group of young individuals, many of whom may have experienced a form of trauma in their early life.

鈥淓xcelsior is a really innovative health care provider. I think we鈥檙e moving into an age where we鈥檙e increasing integration of service into traditional mode of care 鈥� mental health, addiction studies and environment for example,鈥� said Anna Tresidder, PhD and assistant professor of HSA. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e taking into consideration the broad definition of health and I think it鈥檚 great exposure for our students.鈥�

HSA students conducted eight research projects last spring focusing on different aspects of Excelsior, including data collection on staff retention rates, community-based surveys and analyzing incident reports. Students in one group that conducted a billing analysis found roughly $67,000 in unbilled services over the course of two years.

鈥淲e were able to help [Excelsior] with some of those administrative gaps and knowledge gaps to assist their organization because they have so many different things they do,鈥� Tresidder said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e in the trenches 鈥� working day to day, providing services to kids, working with law enforcement. It鈥檚 hard for their staff to take a moment, step back, and look at data collected to identify trends.鈥�

Due to the success of their projects, two students presented their Excelsior research at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Memphis, Tennessee. This is the first time students from the HSA program attended the conference.

鈥淭he students face real challenges head on, especially with a service provider that鈥檚 as complex as Excelsior. They get a really good feel for the complexity of health care delivery 鈥� it鈥檚 not just, you deliver a service, you get paid for it, you move on,鈥� Tresidder said. 鈥淭hey learn about the different components that provide the supports and barriers in a very complex administration system.鈥�

Simultaneously, six students in 51福利社鈥檚 OT program conducted research for their capstone requirement and fulfilled their fieldwork experience at Excelsior last spring. 51福利社 students collaborated with teachers to create plans for students, gathered information to create sensory rooms and learned about organizational barriers.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 give those experiences to them in the classroom,鈥� said Donna Mann, OTD, associate dean of CHSPH and associate professor of OT. 鈥淵ou have to be out in the world to have those experiences.鈥�

OT students have successfully identified ways in which Excelsior can make changes to better benefit its students.

鈥淲e鈥檙e able to improve student learning experiences. A flip side of that is Excelsior is having a positive experience because they鈥檙e already realizing the benefits of having an occupational therapist in their school identify ways for them to make changes and take different approaches in other environments,鈥� Mann said.

The partnership between Excelsior and CHSPH was sparked by Dean Laureen O鈥橦anlon, PhD, in an attempt to identify how the college can become more involved in the community while creating student opportunities for learning. The success of the partnership has led to Tresidder, Mann and Ryan Kiely, vice president and program operations at Excelsior, conducting a two-hour workshop and presentation at the National American Occupational Therapy Conference in Philadelphia.

鈥淲e鈥檙e sharing this on the national stage. It is an innovative learning experience,鈥� Tresidder said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 potential for this to evolve into something meaningful for students in the long run. Ryan, Donna and I are really invested. We鈥檙e always figuring out how to make things work.鈥�

Both Mann and Tresidder attribute the success of the partnership to consistent teamwork and dedication between CHSPH and Excelsior.

鈥淭o really dedicate resources and continuously find ways to work together creates an investment that both organizations value,鈥� Tresidder said. 鈥淭he outcomes are good 鈥� the students benefit and the organizations benefit. We stay aware of making sure that the benefits are felt on both sides.鈥�