Roseman University College of Medicine’s GENESIS to Address Health and Social Needs of Vulnerable Las Vegas Households
Roseman University College of Medicine, joined by Las Vegas City Councilman Cedric Crear, officially launched its GENESIS program at an event on the steps of Las Vegas City Hall on March 30 to a crowd of community leaders, partners and supporters.
Funded in part by a $300,000 American Rescue Plan Act grant through the City of Las Vegas, GENESIS is a household-centered approach to aligning healthcare, public health, and social services to help vulnerable households achieve resiliency. Following the launch event, GENESIS is poised to begin servicing households in select underserved areas in Las Vegas before expanding across the Las Vegas Valley.
“The overall health of patients is mostly driven by social, economic and environmental factors, with the home as the nexus of these factors,” said College of Medicine Dean Dr. Pedro “Joe” Greer, Jr. “Eighty to 90 percent of disease is not attributable to biologic causes, but rather the social determinants of health such as family, income, safe housing, and education.”
GENESIS will address the social determinants of health by coordinating clinical and social services to households in medically underserved communities through household visits, interprofessional clinical practices, and patient navigation. Care teams that include learners from Roseman University’s Colleges, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dental Medicine and eventually Medicine; their faculty; and GENESIS community outreach workers use a mobile-accessible health app to assess and track households’ medical and social risks, develop and implement care plans, and measure outcomes over time. GENESIS also connects households with professional experts from other areas of specialty through its trusted network of community resources.
Through GENESIS household members receive comprehensive, tailored services while also providing real-world learning opportunities for Roseman’s students training in the health professions, says Dr. Luther Brewster, the College of Medicine’s Senior Executive Dean for Community Health Innovation.
“GENESIS is community-dependent, meaning it relies on the already robust community resources in southern Nevada. Combining these with our care teams we can enable and promote connections that more closely align service offerings with each unique household’s needs so that the opportunity for better health flourishes for the most vulnerable in our community,” said Brewster. “Not only will GENESIS help these households and students in the health professions, but it will also benefit Las Vegas by reducing health care spending on emergency room visits by those who currently lack healthcare resources and support.”
Las Vegas City Councilman Cedric Crear said, “Roseman is prime to make a difference not only in the quality of healthcare in southern Nevada, but also in the pathways of students and faculty to become physicians and to go into research,”
At the launch event, GENESIS also introduced its Apple Art Initiative through the unveiling of two GENESIS vehicles. The Apple Art initiative was created to amplify Idealism in the community. Partnering with local artists, GENESIS vehicles are themed with a focus on idealism and the social determinants of health.
“Through artistic representation, GENESIS vehicles are visualizing issues such as housing, mental health, and health disparities, among others,” said Sheyla Pierre, MBA, MSW, Roseman University College of Medicine’s director of equity development and community engagement. “Our first vehicle was designed by Las Vegas’ very own Juan Muniz, who beautifully imagines mental health, an issue near and dear to him. Our second car was a collaborative effort by Nancy Good of Core Contemporary in partnership with two of her Core Scholars from West Preparatory Academy. The theme of this car is housing.”
The GENESIS vehicles will be driven by community outreach workers as they conduct home visits and outreach events. Each car will have a QR code that links to more info on Apple Art and GENESIS, says Pierre.
GENESIS on CBS News
On March 31, Dr. Greer, discussed the innovative new GENESIS program with CBS News’ Tanya Rivero and Meg Oliver.