Holistic Endocarditis Addiction Response Team (HEART) Awarded New Opportunities to Improve Outcomes Grant

A unique interprofessional project representing the University of Minnesota Medical School, University of Minnesota Medical Center (UMMC) and Native American Community Clinichave been awarded a $30,000 New Opportunities to Improve Outcomes (NOTIO) grant. 

The project--titled Holistic Endocarditis Addiction Response Team (HEART): An Interprofessional Approach to Improving Hospital Addiction Care with Linkage to Outpatient Resources—will create an interprofessional team that involves cardiothoracic surgery, infectious disease, addiction medicine, nurse management, and social work, as well as a Peer Support Specialist from the Native American Community Clinic. This innovative team will increase access to culturally appropriate addiction services with linkage to outpatient care for patients admitted to the University of Minnesota Medical Center with injection drug related endocarditis, with the goal of improving the lives of patients, wellbeing of hospital team members, and clinical outcomes. 

“We are excited about this ground-breaking work that focuses on a critical concern in our Native American community,” said Clarence Shannon IV, MD, Associate Dean of Strategy and Innovation for the Medical School and Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology. “What we learn from this special collaboration will help us further our efforts to address health disparities and inequities in ways that are productive and meaningful to the communities we serve.” 

Project leaders include:

  • Co-PI: Ryan Kelly, MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Physician, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
  • Co-PI: Andy Shaffer, MD, MS, Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery
  • Meghan Rothenberger, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, Department of Medicine
  • Leigh Hartenberg, LICSW, Social Worker, UMMC
  • Sarah Koepp, MSN, RN, Adult Medicine Nurse Manager, UMMC
  • Antony Stately, PhD, CEO, Native American Community Clinic