Our Partners
The University of Iowa serves as the lead organization for the Iowa-GWEP, funded by the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP), bringing together its Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, Pharmacy, and Liberal Arts, and Sciences School of Social Work. Collaboration with primary care clinics in Oklahoma and Iowa, as well as with statewide community-based and quality improvement organizations, advances our goal of developing a responsive interprofessional rural workforce that engages older people as partners and improves their health outcomes.
Read on for additional information about our collaborating partners.
Des Moines University (DMU), founded in 1898, is the 2nd oldest osteopathic school in the U.S. and the largest medical school in Iowa. Three health science colleges offer 9 degrees including doctorates in osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine, and physical therapy. Their Rural Medicine Educational Pathway (RMEP) offers an elective on rural health and scholarships for select students who commit to practicing in a rural Iowa community.
Milestones Area Agency on Aging, Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging, and Elderbridge Area Agency on Aging represent 3 of 6 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) in Iowa that provide a variety of community services to help older adults remain in their homes. These 3 AAAs serve individuals in 42 of 99 counties, providing programs related to family caregiving, healthier living through evidence-based activities, and nutrition support.
The Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging (NEI3A), which serves as the state lead for Dementia Friendly America, recently collaborated with the Iowa-GWEP to develop the position of Dementia Friendly Iowa State Coordinator. This position oversees two major dementia friendly initiatives for the state: Dementia Friends Iowa and Dementia Friendly Communities.
The Office of Statewide Clinical Education Programs & Continuing Medical Education coordinates the Iowa Family Medicine Residency Network (FMRN) which is composed of 7 independent primary care systems across the state (Davenport, Des Moines, Iowa City, Mason City, Sioux City, and Waterloo).
Telligen provides services to Medicare providers and beneficiaries as the Quality Improvement Network - Quality Improvement Organization for Iowa, Illinois, and Colorado.
Oklahoma City Veterans Administration Health Care System (OKC VAHCS) serves 50 counties in Oklahoma and north central Texas with a veteran population of over 63,000. In addition to a 192-bed teaching hospital in Oklahoma City, the OKC VAHCS provides services in 16 outpatient clinics.
Western Home Communities (WHC), based in Cedar Falls, Iowa, has over a 100-year history of serving the varied care needs of older adults. The campus provides a full continuum of care that includes independent condominiums and patio homes, congregate independent and assisted living apartments, skilled nursing care, memory care, and home health services.