James L. West Center and UNTHSC partner on dementia care project
The University of North Texas Health Science Center and James L. West are partnering together to create a Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) to improve the care delivered in long-term care nursing settings for residents living with dementia.
Project ECHO is a lifelong learning and guided practice model that revolutionizes medical education and exponentially increases workforce capacity to provide best-practice specialty care and reduce health disparities, the James L. West Center for Dementia Care said in a news release.
The heart of the ECHO model is its hub-and-spoke knowledge-sharing networks, led by expert teams that use multi-point videoconferencing to conduct virtual clinics with community providers, the release said.
Specific to the West Center’s participation, Project ECHO® provides a platform within which the West Center may share its best practices in care and support for medical professionals and long-term care nursing settings supporting the success of persons with dementia related illness.
The ECHO model was launched in 2003 and makes specialized medical knowledge accessible wherever it is needed to save and improve people’s lives, the news release said.
By putting local clinicians and providers together with specialist teams at academic medical centers, and their expert partners, in weekly virtual clinics or teleECHO clinics, Project ECHO shares knowledge and expands treatment capacity. The result: better care for more people.
