McLaren Greater Lansing and the Michigan State University (MSU) College of Nursing are working together to break down the single greatest barrier to mental health care services — access to providers.
Last year, McLaren Greater Lansing made a $1.5 million gift to MSU to establish the Endowed Chair for Behavioral Mental Health Nursing Education, the College of Nursing’s first endowed chair position.
The Endowed Chair for Behavioral Mental Health Nursing Education position establishes a partnership with the MSU College of Nursing and McLaren Greater Lansing and aims to increase access to and improve mental and behavioral health in the community.
“McLaren and MSU have a legacy of partnering to improve health care services, advance research, and train future care givers, and this endowment brings us closer together to address the mental health care needs of Michigan and beyond,” said Tom Mee, president and CEO at McLaren Greater Lansing. “This commitment is much more than an investment in an endowment; this is a commitment to collectively work together to break down the greatest barrier to mental health care services – access to providers.”
The Endowed Chair for Behavioral Mental Health Nursing Education supports the development of nursing competencies in this priority area related to evidence-based care and improved patient outcomes among undergraduate and graduate students, as well as McLaren nursing staff.
Endowed chair and professorship positions provide top scholars with stable support to actively engage in leading-edge work. The support from an endowment provides a dependable, perpetual source of funding to sustain the position, as well as the ability to conduct research and scholarship as new opportunities arise.
“The endowed chair bridges MSU faculty and students with the McLaren Greater Lansing nursing team by improving mental health in the community,” said Dean Randolph Rasch. “Together, we work on the frontlines with patients, addressing the ongoing education needs of nurses, developing their behavioral health nursing skills and building a healthier community.”
As the one-year anniversary of the endowment passes, McLaren Greater Lansing and MSU College of Nursing reflect on the work done so far and look forward to continuing to improve access to mental health care services.
SOURCE: PRESS RELEASE
