Mason Partners with Free Clinic to Improve Access to Primary Health Care
To help alleviate the growing challenges of receiving adequate health care that the uninsured with chronic illness experience in Northern Virginia, Mason’s School of Nursing has received a $1.6 million grant (to be funded over five years) from the Health Resources and Services Administration to establish the Mason Partners for Access to Health Care (PATH) program.
Partnering with the Jeanie Schmidt Free Clinic (JSFC) in Herndon, Va., Mason PATH will help improve access to quality primary and behavioral health care for low-income and minority patients in Fairfax County who lack health insurance and suffer from diabetes and hypertension. In addition, JSFC patients will have access to mental health screening for depression and anxiety and management of behavioral health issues.
Clinical services will be provided by Mason faculty who are trained family nurse practitioners and psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioners. The clinic will also serve as an applied lab for Mason nursing students who will work directly with faculty members to gain experience in areas of nursing administration, clinical specialist and education.
The PATH program will also provide individual and group education programs on a variety of topics such as dental care, nutrition, women’s health care and healthy living. These programs are intended to help improve patients’ understanding of their own health conditions and resources available in their community.
More information about the Mason PATH program can be found here.