The University of Tennessee, College of Nursing has been awarded a $5.5 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Health- its largest to date. The grant aims to increase immunization rates for children and older adults in the state of Tennessee.
Victoria Niederhauser, dean of the college, and Nan Gaylord, associate dean of practice and global affairs at the college will be leading the grant.
The project will place 14 registered nurses, dubbed Community RN Navigators, across the state to provide county level support to improve COVID and routine vaccination rates. The project will also provide UT Extension Professionals with a knowledgeable liaison to help enhance vaccine education and outreach.
Additionally, the project will leverage University of Tennessee System Nursing Schools across the state to provide county specific interventions that will help to educate and increase access to vaccines for all Tennesseans.
Throughout the COVID pandemic, vaccination rates in children and older adults declined due to a variety of reasons including when medical offices were closed to health visits, fears of COVID exposure in offices, and health departments that were overwhelmed with COVID issues.
“As we have navigated through a global pandemic for the last two years, our immunization rates in Tennessee have dropped,” said Niederhauser. “We believe that deploying RNs across the state to assess barriers and create interventions to improve these rates will lead to better health outcomes for the children and older adults in Tennessee.”
Part of the College of Nursing’s mission is to improve the health of communities, families, and individuals by addressing policy and social issues through advocacy and leadership. The college seeks innovative partnerships to help improve health for everyone.
“Our efforts will increase the immunization rates in counties across the state to help protect Tennesseans against communicable diseases,” said Gaylord. “The college has a strong commitment to the health and well-being of our Tennessee community. This project aligns with our mission and efforts to continue to improve health for all.”
The project will begin in spring 2022 and run through 2024.
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CONTACT: Kara Clark Cardwell (kmclark2@utk.edu, 865-974-9498)