The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing recently signed a three-year contract to provide primary care for residents at the Wilder Youth Development Center in Somerville. Wilder is a secure residential facility that provides long-term treatment, education, and rehabilitation services for males aged 14 to 18 who have been committed to state custody for various offenses by the Juvenile Courts.

At Wilder, two members of the College of Nursing faculty each provide primary care four hours per week on site, in collaboration with licensed practical nurses on the Wilder staff. The College of Nursing will also provide telehealth services to Wilder residents through its Nursing Mobile Health Unit.

College of Nursing Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC, FAAN, FAANP, said,

“When Wilder Youth Development Center reached out regarding this collaboration, it was apparent this aligns with our mission, particularly around caring for the most vulnerable and at-risk individuals in our communities.”

Assistant Professor Lisa Beasley, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, AFN-C, director of the Center for Community and Global Partnerships, and instructor Rebecca Burrow, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CNE, RN-OB, are the faculty members who serve at Wilder.

The contract with Wilder represents an expansion of the college’s commitment to both community outreach and clinical practice by faculty.

Twenty-nine members of the college’s 63 full-time faculty are involved in faculty practice, which means they practice as nurses or nurse practitioners one day per week – or 20 percent of their workload.