UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Lannette Fetzer, quality improvement coordinator and certified AgriSafe Nurse Scholar in the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH), is the recipient of the 2023 Preventive Measures Legacy Scholarship Award from the Preventive Measures Foundation.
PORH is administratively located in the Department of Health Policy and Administration in Penn State's College of Health and Human Development on the University Park campus.
The scholarship recognizes Fetzer’s academic aptitude exhibited in the essay titled “Impact on Humanity,” which she submitted with her application. Fetzer reflected on her experience growing up in a large family and the intergenerational connectedness she experienced, which led her to pursue a nursing career. Fetzer integrates perseverance, dedication and empathy in her professional and personal interactions to “give back and pay forward” the gifts she was given by her family.
A lifelong learner, the scholarship will support Fetzer’s doctorate of nurse practice degree at Frontier Nursing University, where she will focus on quality improvement theories, processes and programs. Her doctorate of nurse practice project will address quality improvement following the “Model for Improvement” from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Fetzer will apply the knowledge and skills gained in her graduate studies to improve patient care and enhance current health care policies.
“I am very humbled and appreciative to receive this scholarship from Preventive Measures, which believes health care is a basic human right and every patient deserves access to the best care,” Fetzer said. “Their goals align with what I believe. I am fortunate to work with a talented team at the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, who empower me every day to make quality improvement goals a reality in health care.”
In her position with PORH, Fetzer serves as the quality improvement coordinator overseeing health care quality improvement data collection, benchmarking, assessment and strategies for Pennsylvania’s 16 critical access hospitals and other small rural hospitals in the state.
Located in Allentown, the Preventive Measures Foundation seeks to improve the mental health of individuals so they can live life to their full potential. The foundation looks to meet those needs at an individual, community and global level.
PORH was formed in 1991 as a joint partnership between the federal government, the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Penn State. The office is one of 50 state offices of rural health in the nation and is charged with being a source of coordination, technical assistance, networking and partnership development.
PORH provides expertise in the areas of rural health, population health, quality improvement, oral health, and agricultural health and safety.