First Indigenous-Developed Clinical Simulation Space Planned at WSU Spokane With Bank of America Grant
SPOKANE, WA – September 1, 2021 – Washington State University Spokane’s (WSU Spokane) Native American Health Sciences (NAHS) program will build what is believed to be the nation’s first indigenous-developed and instructed clinical simulation space at the Center for Native American Health on campus.
NAHS will construct 1,045 square feet of clinical space to include a patient exam simulation room, a hospital patient exam simulation room, a teaching and mediation room, and storage for the clinical simulation spaces and accompanying healing modalities.
The project is funded through a $250,000 grant from Bank of America as part of the company’s focus on advancing racial equality and economic opportunity. In recognition of this commitment, the space will be called the Bank of America Indigenous Clinical Simulation Suites.
“Throughout our histories and across the world, it has taken the listening ears, minds and hearts of our allies and friends who wanted to see a more peaceful, kind and equitable world,” said Naomi Bender, director of WSU Spokane’s Native American Health Sciences program. “Through this generous gift, Bank of America is honoring what so many others have set aside: Our ways of knowing and healing. Bank of America is investing in a future where our health care workforce will begin to eliminate health disparities through culturally-centered knowledge and practices that counterbalance western views, instead of perpetuating them.”
Students and clinicians in the Center will gain a holistic view of care with the help of Native instructors in medicine, nursing, pharmacy and allied health, and areas of traditional healing perspectives. The clinical simulation space will allow students—both Native and otherwise—the opportunity to learn about indigenous health and wellness from Native healers.
“This program is creating pathways for Native American communities by reimagining both education and patient care in a way that is uniquely influenced by those it will serve,” said Kurt Walsdorf, Bank of America Spokane President. “Our partners at NAHS are providing a strong curriculum that tackles health disparities for tribal communities in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, while also developing a diverse future workforce. We appreciate the invaluable contributions of Dr. Bender and all those involved for ensuring that our region is a beacon for positive change.”
Additionally, NAHS is developing a 12-credit Interprofessional Indigenous Healing Perspectives certificate that will use the newly constructed clinical simulation wing to advance cultural safety practices in medicine. The certificate will be available both in-person and online for learners across the nation.
The Center, which opened in early 2021, also represents a major milestone of WSU Spokane’s NAHS efforts to recruit, retain and serve Native and non-Native students, and tribal community partners. Native American pre-health students matriculating to WSU system wide increased by 30% this most recent academic year, and WSU Spokane saw even greater growth, with a 50% increase in Native students matriculating to the medicine, nursing and pharmacy programs.
With this grant, NAHS also aims to provide support, space, training, collaborations and other work with tribal communities across the nation.
Currently, 45 Native American students are enrolled at WSU Spokane and NAHS serves 189 WSU Native American pre-health students, most of whom are on the Pullman campus. The Center is open to all students and acts as an educational space for Native students and their peers. NAHS also hosts outreach events and programs at 47 public high schools and more than 30 tribal high schools in the Pacific Northwest.
This is WSU and Bank of America’s second recent collaboration, including a $250,000 grant to help launch the Spinout Space in Spokane (sp³nw), a new life sciences incubator to launch start-up companies.
About WSU Native American Health Sciences
Washington State University’s Native American Health Sciences (NAHS) offers almost a dozen pathway and support programs meant to recruit, matriculate, and help Native American students succeed, who are entering into health care fields of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, nutrition and exercise physiology, speech and hearing sciences, clinical psychology, veterinary medicine, and other allied health sciences. Although WSU NAHS is housed on the WSU Health Sciences Spokane campus, we serve students, staff and faculty across our five campuses, and tribes across the Pacific Northwest. A new Center for Native American Health, meant to provide an indigenous cultural learning and support environment for students, will open in January 2021.
Bank of America
At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).
SOURCE: Bank of America