Who We Are
Director's Welcome | MTGEC History | Grant Initiatives | Board and Committees
Director's Welcome
Gayle Hudgins, PharmD
Director, MTGEC
Welcome to the Montana Geriatric Education Center
The MTGEC fills a unique niche in Montana by providing continuing education for Montana health professionals, higher education faculty and health professions students who serve our older residents. Special attention is given to rural and Native American elders. Currently, MTGEC is working on three initiatives to meet this goal.
Since 2002, thirty-seven education modules have been developed for our on-line curricula. Continuing education credit is available for participants. Groups of modules focus on core issues of aging itself, on education for geriatric-care providers, on health problems of the elderly (with related case studies), and on geriatric health screening. A new module will soon be released on health literacy.
MTGEC and The University of Montana’s Improving Health Among Rural Montanans (IPHARM) program collaborate in bringing wellness testing to the people of Montana. Interdisciplinary teams comprised of health profession students and faculty from The University of Montana, Montana Tech and MSU College of Nursing-Missoula travel to communities across the state conducting lipid panel, bone density, diabetes and blood pressure screenings for seniors.
Last, but not least, MTGEC continues to hold an annual fall conference which is broadcast to over twenty video sites around the state. This year’s conference, Improving Health Literacy and Diabetes Outcomes in Older Persons, will be followed up with two 1-hour videoconferences in January and February 2010.
Increasingly, the public is aware of the current and future shortage of geriatricians and primary care physicians as well as many other health care professionals to serve the needs of the elderly. It will be up to practitioners, health professions students and faculty to help fill this critical gap by learning new skills, expanding their knowledge base, and acquiring the ability to work in a interdisciplinary setting to meet the needs of elder citizens in their communities. MTGEC’s programs are specifically designed to address these goals to help improve health care for our older adults.
Montana Geriatric Education Center History
Originally, the center was developed by The University of Montana in conjunction with Montana State University and Rocky Mountain College. The MTGEC, started in July, 2002, was sustained by a five-year federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), but funding was terminated by Congress in 2006. In September 2007, the center received a new three-year grant from HRSA to fully fund the center. The new consortium is composed of Montana Tech, Northwest Research and Education Institute and The University of Montana.
- Curriculum for Training to increase Health Literacy of at-risk Rural and Minority Elderly in Montana.
A 25 hour curriculum to increase the health literacy of at-risk rural and minority elderly will be used to train health care professionals, faculty and students. Dissemination will be by means of modules, video conferences and video/case study discussion groups.
- Patients as Partners — Expansion of MTGEC Modular Curriculum
Thirty-six modules on health care problems in the elderly will emphasize the partnership between older patients and health care professionals. This information will be disseminated via online, CD, and paper copy modules.
- Geriatric Health Screening
Staffed by interdisciplinary teams of student and faculty, health screenings will be conducted across Montana.back to top ^
Staff
Barbara Morgan, Associate Director • Kirsten Towgood, Program Coordinator Molly Valdez, Program Assistant
Board and Committees
Administrative Board
| Name | Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Gayle Hudgins, PharmD | Chair |
Department of Pharmacy Practice |
| Patricia Coon, MD | Medical Director | Billings Clinic Center for Clinical Translational Research |
| Cindy Garthwait, MSSW | Professor | School of Social Work The University of Montana |
| Allison McIntosh, MN, APRN, CS | Assistant Professor of Nursing | Montana Tech Butte, Montana |
| Deborah Peters, MS | Executive Director | Northwest Research & Education
Institute Billings, Montana |
| Ann Williams, PhD | Adjunct Professor | School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences |
Curriculum Committee
| Name | Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Ann Williams, PhD |
Chair Adjunct Professor |
School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences The University of Montana |
| Patricia Coon, MD | Medical Director | Billings Clinic Center for Clinical Translational Research |
| Linda Henderson, MN, RN | Adjunct Assistant Professor | Montana State University - Bozeman College of Nursing, Missoula |
| Gayle Hudgins, PharmD | Professor |
Department of Pharmacy Practice |
| Mary Martin, LCSW | Social Work | Partners in Home Care |
| Gyda Swaney, PhD | Associate Professor | Department of Psychology |
Geriatric Health Screening Committee
| Name | Title | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gayle Hudgins, PharmD | Chair MTGEC Director and Professor |
Department of Pharmacy Practice |
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| Tondy Baumgartner, MSW | Adjunct Assistant Professor | School of Social Work The University of Montana |
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| Donna Beall, PharmD,BCPS | Associate Professor | Department of Pharmacy Practice The University of Montana |
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| Rachael Curran, PharmD | Clinical Pharmacist Specialist | Department of Pharmacy Practice The University of Montana |
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| Laurie Glover, MN, APRN, FNP | Adjunct Assistant Professor | Montana State University - Great Falls College of Technology |
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| Cindy Garthwait, MSSW | Professor | School of Social Work |
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| Linda L. Henderson, MN, RN, BC | Adjunct Assistant Professor | Montana State University - Bozeman |
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| Dave Levison, PT, MHS | Clinical Assistant Professor/ACCE | School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences The University of Montana |
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| Allison McIntosh, MN, APRN, CS | Assistant Professor | Montana Tech Butte, Montana |
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| Siegrist, Kathryn, MSN, CNM | Adjunct Assistant Professor | Montana State University – Bozeman College of Nursing, Missoula |
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