The brooklyn initiative to develop geriatrics education - analysis of community outreach outcomes

Introduction In 2019, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HRSA) awarded a 5-year grant to SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University (SDHSU) to educate interprofessional healthcare students, trainees, and providers regarding comprehensive, integrated care for older adults. This Brooklyn Initiative to Develop Geriatrics Education (BRIDGE) is led by experts in primary care, geriatric psychiatry and medicine, nursing, public health, and occupational therapy. Through community partnerships and educational programming, the BRIDGE program aims at sustainably transforming the healthcare workforce and community in Brooklyn to be Age- and Dementia-Friendly. It involves an extensive network of partners, including several colleges and Graduate Medical Education at SDHSU, two primary care systems. Each has multiple clinics that are level III Patient-Centered Medical Homes: Kings County Hospital Center and the Brownsville Multiservice Family Health Center (federally qualified). We also partnered with the Fort Greene Council, Inc., which runs 13 of Brooklyn's Department for Aging-funded senior centers. Between September 2020 and June 2022, the program offered 49 online learning experiences to community-dwelling seniors enrolled in the Fort Greene Council. These sessions reached 2,615 older adults and 782 staff. Here we present an overview of the development of this program and an analysis of outcome survey data. Methods We designed the BRIDGE Community Outreach Education program using a stepwise approach. We conducted a preliminary needs assessment with the Fort Greene Council to review perceived educational needs and preferred delivery mechanisms and to develop a topic list. During years 1 and 2 of funding, BRIDGE engaged with the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health to conduct three focus groups regarding geriatric healthcare and community educational needs. These groups were analyzed using a mixed methodological approach to develop a comprehensive educational program. During year 3 (2021-2022), we delivered the program to older adults attending Fort Greene Council senior centers. At the end of each outreach session, we collected data on attendees’ satisfaction using a short IRB-approved voluntary survey. Survey elements included: demographics, an assessment of the usefulness of the presentation, whether the session met their expectations, and the quality of the presenter and presentation materials. It also included what respondents liked best about the sessions, what they learned, and any additional comments. Results We received 142 satisfaction surveys representing an estimated 89 individuals (unduplicated responses). Some respondents attended more than one session. The majority were female (96.8%) and African Americans (86.7%) in their 60s and 70s. Only a small number of respondents (11%) were caregivers. 82% of respondents indicated the presenters were excellent, and 74% of respondents felt the materials were excellent. 55% of respondents who answered the question of what they liked, or thought was most useful indicated that the presentations were well-organized, informative, excellent, easy to understand, and effective. More specific comments on what respondents liked and what they learned included: the importance of having a geriatrics provider, sharing what matters most to them; having questions prepared when visiting; the importance of having regular health maintenance; learning the difference between mental health and depression; what to do about it, and learning about gender differences in mental health, depression, and suicide; better understanding of dementia/Alzheimer's disease; better knowledge on falls and their prevention; learning about polypharmacy and the importance of discussing medications with providers; learning the safety and efficacy of vaccines including COVID-19 immunizations, and learning more about the geriatric sexual health. There were no suggestions for improving the sessions, but rather more appreciation and gratitude for the presentations and presenters, and a sentiment that they would like to see the sessions continue. Conclusions The response rate was relatively low; therefore, we cannot generalize the findings to all participants. However, our data still indicates that the outreach sessions were well received and highly rated for their overall quality. Almost all respondents said the presentations were helpful and met their expectations. It was clear that respondents had a strong desire for them to continue. It might be helpful to conduct additional focus groups to obtain more detailed information from participants. This research was funded by: Members of the BRIDGE program and authors of this abstract are supported by the HRSA of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $3,750,000 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. In 2019, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HRSA) awarded a 5-year grant to SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University (SDHSU) to educate interprofessional healthcare students, trainees, and providers regarding comprehensive, integrated care for older adults. This Brooklyn Initiative to Develop Geriatrics Education (BRIDGE) is led by experts in primary care, geriatric psychiatry and medicine, nursing, public health, and occupational therapy. Through community partnerships and educational programming, the BRIDGE program aims at sustainably transforming the healthcare workforce and community in Brooklyn to be Age- and Dementia-Friendly. It involves an extensive network of partners, including several colleges and Graduate Medical Education at SDHSU, two primary care systems. Each has multiple clinics that are level III Patient-Centered Medical Homes: Kings County Hospital Center and the Brownsville Multiservice Family Health Center (federally qualified). We also partnered with the Fort Greene Council, Inc., which runs 13 of Brooklyn's Department for Aging-funded senior centers. Between September 2020 and June 2022, the program offered 49 online learning experiences to community-dwelling seniors enrolled in the Fort Greene Council. These sessions reached 2,615 older adults and 782 staff. Here we present an overview of the development of this program and an analysis of outcome survey data. We designed the BRIDGE Community Outreach Education program using a stepwise approach. We conducted a preliminary needs assessment with the Fort Greene Council to review perceived educational needs and preferred delivery mechanisms and to develop a topic list. During years 1 and 2 of funding, BRIDGE engaged with the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health to conduct three focus groups regarding geriatric healthcare and community educational needs. These groups were analyzed using a mixed methodological approach to develop a comprehensive educational program. During year 3 (2021-2022), we delivered the program to older adults attending Fort Greene Council senior centers. At the end of each outreach session, we collected data on attendees’ satisfaction using a short IRB-approved voluntary survey. Survey elements included: demographics, an assessment of the usefulness of the presentation, whether the session met their expectations, and the quality of the presenter and presentation materials. It also included what respondents liked best about the sessions, what they learned, and any additional comments. We received 142 satisfaction surveys representing an estimated 89 individuals (unduplicated responses). Some respondents attended more than one session. The majority were female (96.8%) and African Americans (86.7%) in their 60s and 70s. Only a small number of respondents (11%) were caregivers. 82% of respondents indicated the presenters were excellent, and 74% of respondents felt the materials were excellent. 55% of respondents who answered the question of what they liked, or thought was most useful indicated that the presentations were well-organized, informative, excellent, easy to understand, and effective. More specific comments on what respondents liked and what they learned included: the importance of having a geriatrics provider, sharing what matters most to them; having questions prepared when visiting; the importance of having regular health maintenance; learning the difference between mental health and depression; what to do about it, and learning about gender differences in mental health, depression, and suicide; better understanding of dementia/Alzheimer's disease; better knowledge on falls and their prevention; learning about polypharmacy and the importance of discussing medications with providers; learning the safety and efficacy of vaccines including COVID-19 immunizations, and learning more about the geriatric sexual health. There were no suggestions for improving the sessions, but rather more appreciation and gratitude for the presentations and presenters, and a sentiment that they would like to see the sessions continue. The response rate was relatively low; therefore, we cannot generalize the findings to all participants. However, our data still indicates that the outreach sessions were well received and highly rated for their overall quality. Almost all respondents said the presentations were helpful and met their expectations. It was clear that respondents had a strong desire for them to continue. It might be helpful to conduct additional focus groups to obtain more detailed information from participants.