This grant helped Western Carolina University (WCU) increase the number of Family Nurse Practitioner clinical sites in rural western North Carolina and improved health and healthcare in the region by adding a full-time family nurse practitioner at the Good Samaritan Clinic of Jackson County (GSCJC). Previously, volunteer physicians and practitioners served the site one night per week. The project allowed WCU to train nine FNP students annually at GSCJC. It also decreased the number of patients in the region who use the emergency room as primary care. Students learned about the social determinants of rural, underserved populations, and the role of primary care. The local hospital system agreed to maintain the position and associated clinical placement sites at GSCJC through cost savings to the hospital resulting from decreased emergency room visits for primary care. Golden LEAF funds were used to pay for two years of salary for a full-time FNP.
