Yesterday, the University of Minnesota’s School of Nursing celebrated the opening of a new, state-of-the art education center for nursing and other health professional students.

The Bentson Healthy Communities Innovation Center will provide students with new opportunities to engage in complex simulated health scenarios in interprofessional teams, use sophisticated telehealth technology and learn emerging health records technology.

The center is named to honor the lead gift made by the Bentson Foundation, which contributed $3.7 million to the $7.8 million dollar project. A $1 million gift from the United Health Foundation and other generous donations enabled rapid construction, which began in May 2012.

As you can see by the photos, the new space looks great.

Compare these photos to the one taken nearly a year ago, while the space was still under construction… What a difference!

Health Talk is highlighting University of Minnesota health professional students’ stories about their experiences at the U of M’s student-run Phillips Neighborhood Clinic.

Medical School student Chris Ryer highlights his experiences at the clinic in this final post in the series.

Health Talk is highlighting University of Minnesota health professional students’ stories about their experiences at the U of M’s student-run Phillips Neighborhood Clinic.

School of Nursing student, Maggie Kriz, highlights her experiences at the clinic in this second post in the series.

Over the next few days, Health Talk is highlighting University of Minnesota health professional students’ stories about their experiences at the U of M’s student-run Phillips Neighborhood Clinic.

College of Pharmacy student, Phat Tran, starts the week off by highlighting his experiences at the clinic.

For the underserved, paying for quality health care can simply be out of the question. Thankfully the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic (PNC) is available to provide free health care in the Phillips neighborhood and surrounding areas to those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it.

The clinic celebrates its tenth anniversary this month.

The PNC is operated by University of Minnesota health professional students and are supervised by licensed clinicians. At the PNC, U of M health professional students studying everything from physical therapy to pharmacy and nursing are able to hone their skills to effectively and compassionately serve patients in need.

Last week, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton announced a new health reform initiative that, if successful, could provide better health care for 100,000 Minnesotans while lowering costs for taxpayers.

According to the state, the new system will “test a new payment model that prioritizes quality, preventive care and rewards providers for achieving mutually-agreed upon health goals,” and could save the state’s Medicaid program nearly $90 million over the next three years.

One of the six major health care providers to contract with the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) under the new payment model is the Federally Qualified Health Center Urban Health Network (FUHN) which includes the University of Minnesota’s Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC).

According to Executive Director Deanna Mills, CUHCC has planned for this new system for more than a year in efforts to make the new pilot program successful.  “We are shifting our care delivery model by building our capacity to provide care coordination that not only increases quality of care but also enhances patients’ satisfaction with our care,” said Mills.