Salus Presents Staff Development Session to Green Tree School

Green Tree School and Services (GTSS), in close proximity to Salus, is a non-profit, state-licensed agency that provides education, therapeutic and clinical support to individuals ranging in age five to 21 years old with autism spectrum disorder and severe emotional disabilities. On Wednesday, April 5, a team of speakers from the University brought their expertise in Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Interprofessional Practice (IPP) to GTSS for a staff development session.

The presentation, “Interdisciplinary Team-Based Patient Care,” highlighted the value of patient-centered and team-based care provided through the University’s various disciplines. Attended by approximately 100 GTSS staff members, the session included a description of the presenters discipline specific-roles at Salus, a pediatric case development session of a patient with Usher syndrome showcasing team-based care, and an attendee Q&A.

The presentation highlighted IPE is a valued and visible component of health professional/provider education and training worldwide, and is increasingly viewed as essential to improving patient/client outcomes, reducing medical errors, and improving the overall healthcare system.

The Salus-GTSS collaboration began with a visit in the spring of 2015 to explore potential areas of mutual interest and collaboration, according to Linda Casser, OD, Salus University coordinator of Interprofessional Education and Salus Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) professor. Then, she said, after a meeting with administrators at GTSS last December, “we agreed that presenting the IPE program that Salus has developed would provide an excellent opportunity for developing mutual familiarization between our two institutions.”  A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was subsequently executed in January of this year.

The session’s main learning objectives included understanding core principles of IPE and IPP, and demonstrating the key benefits of interdisciplinary practice while caring for a patient with Usher syndrome. “Our IPE presentation will also form the foundation from which to explore areas of potential collaboration,” noted Dr. Casser.

The development session speakers included:

• Linda Casser, OD, Interprofessional Education coordinator and Salus PCO professor
• Ruth Shoge, OD ‘06, Pediatric/Vision Therapy Residency Program coordinator and Salus PCO assistant professor
• Sarah Appel, OD ‘79, Pediatric Low Vision Services director, William Feinbloom Vision Rehabilitation Center chief of services, Special Populations Assessment and Rehabilitation co-director, and Salus PCO associate professor
• Kerry Lueders, MS, COMS, TVI, CLVT, Low Vision Rehabilitation Program director, Programs for Teachers and Children with Visual and Multiple Disabilities director, and Salus College of Education and Rehabilitation (CER) assistant professor
• Fern Silverman, EdD, OTR/L, Doctoral Program in Occupational Therapy director and Salus Occupational Therapy associate professor
• Kyomi Gregory, PhD, CCC-SLP, Salus Speech-Language Pathology assistant professor
• Barbara Schwartz-Bechet, Salus CER associate dean and professor
• Jack Knight, retired local school administrator