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 Montana Geriatric Education Center (MTGEC) fills a unique niche in Montana by providing 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 four initiatives to meet this goal.
Since 2002, thirty-seven education modules have been developed for our on-line curriculum. 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), on geriatric health screening, and on education issues. 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 travel to communities across the state conducting lipid panel, bone density, hemoglobin A1c for diabetes, and blood pressure screenings for seniors. Depending on the student team members, balance testing and fall risk assessment, as well as depression and cognition screenings, are also available.
MTGEC continues to hold an annual fall conference which is transmitted to over twenty video sites around the state. This year’s conference, Alzheimer’s Disease: From Research to Best Practices, reached over 270 participants. It was followed up with two 1-hour videoconferences in January and February 2011. Finally, a geriatric faculty training program will be implemented in early 2011.
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, Saint Vincent Healthcare and The University of Montana.
- Geriatric Health Curriculum
Online curriculum modules addressing a variety of geriatric health topics. New modules addressing various aspects of mental health disorders, primarily depression, and cognitive impairment/dementia are being developed. This curriculum is also available on CD and in print.
- Geriatric Faculty Fellows Program
Provides strong grounding in geriatrics for faculty of various disciplines, utilizing the curricular modules, continuing education conferences, and "hands-on" experience in teaching, research or another area of participant's choice.
- Continuing Education in Geriatrics
Themes of mental health disorders, cognitive impairment/dementia, and related problems will be developed and national speakers will address these topics. Programming will include an annual fall conference, as well as follow-up video conferences. A workshop will be sponsored each year at the Montana Gerontology Annual Meeting.
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Geriatric Health Screening
Staffed by interdisciplinary teams of students and faculty, health screenings, counseling and referrals will be conducted across Montana.
Staff
Terry Egan, Associate Director, Shanta Layton, Program Manager, 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 |
| Angie Williams, MSN, RN-BC | Director | St Vincent Healthcare University, St Vincent Healthcare Billings, Montana |
| Linda Henderson, MN, RN, BC | Adjunct Assistant Professor | Montana State University - Bozeman College of Nursing, Missoula |
| Allison McIntosh, MN, APRN, CS | Assistant Professor | Montana Tech Butte, Montana |
| Ann Williams, PhD | Adjunct Professor | School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences |
| Annie Belcourt-Dittloff, PhD | Assistant Professor | Department of Pharmacy Practice |
Curriculum Committee
| Name | Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Linda Henderson, MN, RN, BC |
Chair Adjunct Assistant Professor |
Montana State University - Bozeman |
| Patricia Coon, MD | Medical Director | Billings Clinic Center for Clinical Translational Research |
| Linda Torma, PhD, APRN, GCNS-BC | Adjunct Assistant Professor | Montana State University - Bozeman College of Nursing, Missoula |
| Gayle Hudgins, PharmD | Professor |
Department of Pharmacy Practice |
| Annie Bernauer, MSW | Social Work | Partners in Home Care |
| Annie Belcourt-Dittloff, PhD | Assistant Professor | Department of Pharmacy Practice |
| Kerry Haney, Pharm D | Assistant Professor | Department of Pharmacy Practice |
| Ann Williams, PhD | Adjunct Professor | School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences The University of Montana |
| Terry Egan, MS | Associate Director | MTGEC |
| Shanta Layton | Program Manager | MTGEC |
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 Zins, 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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| Grace Decker | Program Coordinator II | Western MT Area Health Education Center | ||
| Molly Valdez | Administrative Support | MTGEC |
