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Posted 12-20-99
Cleveland will become a major site for geriatric medicine in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health system through a grant from the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC) program.
A $2.3 million grant from the Secretary of the VA to the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center-- in association with Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland -- will allow it to expand research, education, and clinical programs in geriatrics and gerontology.
The purpose of the national GRECC program, which the VA created in 1975, is to increase the scientific knowledge of the aging process, share that knowledge with healthcare providers and trainees, and improve the overall quality of care for the elderly patient population. With the addition of Cleveland and another site in Pittsburgh, the total number of GRECCs in the country rises to 18, each with its own particular focus.
Jerome Kowal, a professor of medicine and associate dean for geriatric medicine at CWRU, will direct the Cleveland GRECC. He said the Cleveland center will develop and implement innovative programs for older veterans to maintain independence, prevent disability, and improve quality of life.
Cleveland will receive funding for three years and will be eligible for renewal at the end of that period. Of the $2.3 million for the first year, $1.3 million will provide salary support for 12 full-time positions, while the remainder will be used for construction and equipment.
"This grant provides us with the opportunity for expanded research, especially clinical research which will have a direct effect on better care for the older veteran," said Kowal. The research will dovetail with health services research already underway at CWRU which emphasizes improving quality of care and patient-centered outcomes, Kowal added.
The Cleveland GRECC will build on the expertise in geriatrics that has developed at the Cleveland VA, CWRU, and UHC during the past 15 years. CWRU currently ranks 9th in the nation for geriatric and gerontologic research and education funding from the National Institute on Aging.
Two major programs at the Cleveland GRECC will focus on cardiovascular disease and neuromuscular disorders of aging. In the first, researchers will address mechanisms of oxidative damage in the aging heart, with an emphasis on post-ischemic reperfusion injury. The second will use functional electrical stimulation (FES) technology to address rehabilitation of upper and lower limb function following stroke. Two other research projects will examine antibiotic resistance, and cancer and aging.
The centerpiece of the GRECC's clinical component will be a program of preventive and rehabilitative interventions in an expanded 30-bed geriatric rehabilitation unit, based on protocols developed in earlier CWRU studies. Additional demonstration projects include an outpatient/inpatient frailty treatment clinic, new protocols to improve medication compliance, a new and expanded community-based case management initiative, and expansion of hospice/palliative care activities at the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The major goal of the education component will be to advance the quantity and quality of education in geriatrics and gerontology for VA staff and trainees.
In addition to Kowal, the following will be investigators for the project:
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