As a consulting rheumatologist serving the rural counties of western North Carolina for the past 29 years, I am very familiar with the challenges older adults face in maintaining their independence and recovering from devastating events like falls and fractures. I have been interested in program development focused on addressing these needs for many years.
In 1991, I developed a regional Osteoporosis Center with grant support from the Duke Endowment, and then a mobile bone density testing program to serve providers and patients in the most rural counties of western North Carolina with funding from the Janirve Foundation in 1996. I have continued to direct these programs which have promoted excellence in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis, and have advocated for comprehensive care that includes enhancing physical function, improving strength and balance, preventing falls and ultimately fractures.
In 2009-2010, as a Hartford Practice Change Fellow, I developed and implemented a model demonstrating that fall risk assessment could be successfully integrated into routine bone density testing. I was also the recipient of a TRacs grant from UNC Chapel Hill that supported the development of a data base for that project.
In 2011, I was appointed to the Western North Carolina Health Network Triple Aim Council. This 17 member collaborative brings together hospitals, health departments, public and private insurers, regional medical educators and health care providers. Council members have focused on innovative approaches to improving the the health of western North Carolina's population, and their experience of care, while at the same time leveraging effective use of regional resources. I have been leading the Triple Aim Fall Prevention work group which has focused on developing county based networks of service providers who collaborate to develop better approaches to identifying those at risk, connecting them with resource for evaluation and management and enhancing their continued engagement.
I hold adjunct faculty appointments with UNC Chapel Hill Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology; the Department of Family Medicine and the North Carolina Center for Healthy Aging - an interdisciplinary collaborative between MAHEC, the University of North Carolina - Asheville and Western Carolina University.