After a highly competitive selection process and rigorous peer-review, the John A. Hartford Foundation and Social Work Leadership Institute at the New York Academy of Medicine are pleased to introduce the first eight PPP sites, held in ten schools of Social Work nationwide:
- Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service
Population (over 60): New York City is well-known for its diversity: out of 1,252,206 older adults, 53.4% are White, 20.8% are African American, 16.5% are Hispanic/Latino, and 6.9% are of Asian/Pacific Islander decent. Statistics also show that elder abuse is on the rise in New York City and the five boroughs.
Principal Investigator: Patricia J. Brownell, PhD, MSW - Associate Professor
Estimated number of PPP students (2005 - 2008): 9
Field Sites: Partnering city agencies' areas of specialization include: NYC Department for the Aging; Human Resource Administration Adult Protective Services and Home Care; Harlem Hospital - Geriatric Psych Unit; NYC Civil Court - Housing Unit
Rotations: Fordham's goal is to improve service delivery to vulnerable older New York residents and their families by providing public sector pre-professional workers access to a Master's of Social Work Education that refines and incorporates core geriatric competencies. Work-study students from participating agencies will rotate once or twice across the spectrum of participating agencies. Student salaries will be paid by the host agency and in turn, the student will be expected to return to the host agency to work after successfully completing his or her degree requirements.
- Ohio State University (OSU) College of Social Work
Population (over 60): The OSU College of Social Work is located in Franklin County, which is surrounded by rural farming communities. There, the percentage and poverty rates of older adults are high and aging services are sparse. Census 2000 projects that the number of older adults in Central Ohio will grow from 218,163 in 2000 to 384,288 by 2020, a 76% increase.
Principal Investigator: Virginia Richardson, PhD - Associate Professor
Estimated number of PPP students (2005 - 2008): 15
Field Sites: All field sites will be affiliated with the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging (COAAA).
Rotations: Students will be assigned to one of eight central counties and the COAAA will rotate students through four rotation models in that county. Rotation A: the faculty members and the educational coordinators from the COAAA will orient the students to their counties and four selected programs; Rotation B: students will work with well-elderly; Rotation C: students will work with functionally impaired elderly; Rotation D: students will work with elderly that require more intensive care needs.
- University of Louisville, Kent School of Social Work
Population (over 65): By 2025 the over 65 population in Kentucky is expected to jump from 12.6% to 21.3% of the total population. Kentucky is ranked 7th in the country for having a high percentage of residents who live in poverty, with 23% of rural residents living at 100% of the poverty level. Jefferson County (where the University is located) has the highest concentration of African-Americans living in the state and the counties surrounding Jefferson County are designated federal health shortage areas.
Principal Investigator: Anna Faul, PhD - Associate Professor
Estimated number of PPP students (2005 - 2008): 30
Field Sites: Partnering agencies' areas of specialization include but are not limited to: medical centers, social service, local government, mental health, long term care facilities, and advocacy organizations
Rotations: Due to the rural-urban diversity in the Kent School community, as well as the different needs of the participating agencies, PPP students will be required to do two rotations concurrently, with one agency or service area serving as their main placement and the other serving as an alternate placement. Distribution between the two agencies will be determined in collaboration with the agencies involved, and be tailored to the needs of each student.
- University of Maine School of Social Work
Population (over 65): Maine is a rural state with 14.4% of the population over 65 years of age. 17.9% of all persons over 65 live in completely rural areas with fewer than 2,500 people, while another 32.1% live in urban areas. Only 13.3% of persons over 65 live in areas with a population of 250,000 or more. 10.7% of the population lives below the poverty line, while 26.3% live within 101% - 200% of the poverty line.
Principal Investigator: Lenard Kaye, DSW - Director of the University of Maine Center on Aging
Estimated number of PPP students (2005 - 2008): 11
Field Sites: Partnering agencies' areas of specialization include but are not limited to: rehabilitation, health/medical, social service, home care, long-term care, mental health, domestic violence, state government, and advocacy
Rotations: Students will remain at their primary field sites two days a week throughout the academic year. On the third day, students will be assigned to a rotational agency site for three consecutive weeks. During the fourth week, all students and primary rotation site field instructors will participate in a monthly training on special aging topics. At the beginning of each succeeding month, students will remain at their primary agency but rotate to the next secondary agency for three successive weeks.
- University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work
Population (over 65): The city of Pittsburgh is located in Alleghany County. 17.8% of the County's population is 65 and over and the number is predicted to rise to 20% by 2030. 89.6% are White and 9.3% are African American. Among the over-65 population, 36.7% live alone and 13.5% live below the poverty level.
Principal Investigator: Rafael Engel, PhD - Associate Dean
Co-Principal Investigator: Sandra Wexler, MSW - Program Director
Estimated number of PPP students (2005 - 2008):18
Field Sites: Partnering agencies' areas of specialization include but are not limited to: local government, mental health, medical centers, medical centers, advocacy, and case management organizations
Rotations: First year students will be placed at area agencies and be assigned to two units or affiliated agencies to increase exposure to different subgroups of the elderly and the array of available services. Foundation skills for assessment and intervention will be highlighted in each. Second year students will rotate to a large medical facility for exposure to advanced assessment and intervention skills. During this time, as part of the field seminar, they will be oriented to a policy/advocacy organization and identify individual or group advocacy projects.
- University of Utah College of Social Work
Population (over 65): Salt Lake City has one of the fastest growing senior populations (6th fastest growing state in the country). The life expectancy in Utah is 78.5, superseding the US average. 30% of all city residents affiliate with a minority group with the Hispanic/Latino population at 19% and growing.
Principal Investigator: O' William Farley, PhD - Director
Estimated number of PPP students (2005 - 2008): 20
Field Sites: Partnering agencies' areas of specialization include but are not limited to: medical centers and clinics, social service, local government, mental health, legal services, advocacy, and policy organizations
Rotations: Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a community-based program operated within the college that provides supportive services to older adults living in the community, will be the host site for all students while concurrent or block rotations will be completed in at least two consortium agencies.
- Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Social Work
Population (over 65): VCU is located in Richmond, a metropolitan area that is home to a growing and diverse aging population. Richmond's urban core is over 50% African American with 20% of the population living at or below the poverty level. Program expansion into Northern Virginia area will expose students to low-income, non-native Hispanic/Latino and Asian older persons.
Principal Investigator: Timothy Davey, PhD - Director of Field Education
Estimated number of PPP students (2005 - 2008): 24
Field Sites: Partnering agencies' areas of specialization include but are not limited to: medical centers and clinics, social service, local government, long-term care facilities, advocacy, and policy organizations
Rotations: In their first year, students will be placed in sites that provide experiences throughout the continuum of home and community-based geriatric services to gain a broad understanding of older populations. In the second year, students will be placed in one of the large, diversified health care systems.
- - 10. Consortium: St. Louis University Department of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis George Warren Brown School of Social Work, University of Missouri in St. Louis School of Social Work
Population (over 65): The number of seniors in St. Louis alone represents 22% of the senior population in Missouri. 69% are White, 27% African American, 2% Asian/Pacific Islander, 2% Hispanic/Latino. 29% of the senior population lives alone.
Principal Investigator(s): Julie Birkenheimer, MSW (PI) - Associate Clinical Professor (SLU), Joseph Pickard, PhD, LCSW (Co-PI) - Associate Professor (U. of M), and Estelle Rochman, MSW, LCSW, BCD (Co-PI) - Director of Field Education (Wash U.)
Estimated number of PPP students (2005 - 2008): 36
Field Sites: Partnering agencies' areas of specialization include but are not limited to: medical centers and clinics, social service, local government, mental health, senior centers, long term care facilities, and advocacy organizations
Rotations: Consortium students will rotate in small groups with students from other schools to three different aging sites over nine months. Each site will host two or more students for ten to twelve weeks. Student and field instructors will also attend training seminars together.
