“We are making great strides to transform health care, and this is another example of our innovation,” said Greg Postel, UofL’s interim president.

“UofL is among just a handful of higher education institutions in the United States implementing a dental-nursing collaborative care model clinic, we are proud to be among them,” said T. Gerard Bradley, dean of the UofL School of Dentistry.

UofL Care Partners will help create a continuity of care for patients, adds School of Nursing dean Marcia J. Hern.

“The solid future of effective health care will rely on inter-professional teams that best serve the public,” she said.

The objective of UofL Care Partners is to serve as an urgent care-style clinic for patients who need help with issues such as blood pressure or diabetes management.

“Without management of these type of health issues, patients run the risk of delaying or foregoing their dental treatment,” said Tim Daugherty, interim associate dean of clinical affairs, UofL School of Dentistry. “If a person went under local anesthetic for a dental procedure and had uncontrolled diabetes, their insulin levels could drop leading to life-threatening problems.”

In 2016, the School of Dentistry wrote nearly 900 medical consults for patients who needed to follow-up with a provider before progressing through their dental treatment. Almost 40 percent of these patients failed to complete the follow-up required for their oral health treatment.

Renovation, expected to be completed in early 2018, will convert an area in the School of Dentistry into a patient room. Dental patients, along with others including faculty and staff, can make an appointment with UofL Care Partners’ part-time nurse practitioner. In addition to offering chronic disease management, patients can have basic lab work completed or be seen for an acute illness. A nurse practitioner also will work with patients to connect them with a primary care provided or specialist, if needed.

UofL Care Partners is an outgrowth of an existing relationship between the Schools of Dentistry and Nursing, which jointly received a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration in 2012. The grant supported an educational initiative for nursing and dental students to enhance communication between the professions and develop best practices in patient assessment, consultation and management to improve overall health of patients.

Additionally, DMD students learn from a nurse practitioner who instructs them on completing medical history forms required for all new dental patients as part of the admission process. Dental students also learn how to evaluate whether a patient is healthy enough to complete an exam and subsequent treatment.

“This initiative is a creative demonstration of how nurse practitioners are meeting the needs of patients where they are, and builds on best practices and success at the School of Nursing’s other clinical operation, the Kentucky Racing Health Service Center,” said Whitney Nash, associate dean of practice and service, UofL School of Nursing.

The allows eligible undergraduates to make their senior year of college also count as their first year of law school. That means scholars could complete a juris doctor — or law degree — a year earlier. Savings would be more than $20,000 for in-state students and more than $37,000 for non-resident students.

The program is a partnership between the College of Arts and Sciences and the Brandeis School of Law. Currently, students majoring in criminal justice, history and women’s and gender studies are eligible to apply during their junior year. If accepted, they can then apply to Brandeis provided they meet minimum GPA and law school admission test (LSAT) score requirements.

“As a National Jurist and preLaw magazines’ Best Value Law School, we pride ourselves on providing a high-quality legal education and ample career opportunities at a reasonable cost to our students,” said Susan Duncan, Dean of Brandeis School of Law. “The 3+3 program takes this focus on efficiency a step further by allowing students to jump-start their legal careers a year earlier than in traditional models.”

UofL administrators said the collaboration between the two colleges is a good example of interdisciplinary teamwork and innovative solutions to help students graduate quickly and with less debt.

“This partnership is an opportunity for A&S students to demonstrate how a degree in the liberal arts and sciences is an excellent foundation for the Brandeis School of Law,” said A&S Dean Kimberly Kempf-Leonard. “We are confident that students who complete one of the 3+3 programs will be poised for success in their chosen career paths.”

The new approach has already attracted the interest of Owensboro native Lacey Parham, an incoming UofL student who first entered college at age 16 and graduated high school with a pair of associate degrees. Parham was drawn to the opportunity to accelerate her education toward her goal becoming a U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General, an elite law professional who offers counsel to the military.��

“Because of my nontraditional academic background, the 3+3 law program at the University of Louisville could not have fit more perfectly into my academic plans,” said Parham. “Through 3+3 law, I will be afforded the opportunity to experience unrivaled education at my dream school on a timeline that works for me.”

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