The American Geriatrics Society -

For Immediate Release
November 16, 2005

For more information:
Erin Weller
(212) 308-1414 x 329

American Geriatrics Society, AGS' Foundation for Health in Aging and John A. Hartford Foundation Award Grants to Help Rebuild Hurricane-Ravaged Geriatrics Fellowship Training Program

Program serves mostly indigent minority elderly in New Orleans area

New York, NY - The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the AGS' Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) will contribute $20,000 to help Louisiana State University's geriatrics fellowship program, which was uprooted by Hurricane Katrina, reestablish itself, the non-profit organizations announced October 25, at the FHA's 6th annual Gala.

The John A. Hartford Foundation pledged a matching $20,000 to support the program, which provided free care to a primarily indigent, minority population of older adults in the greater New Orleans area.

"These are small amounts compared with what it will take to rebuild the Gulf, but they will make a very big difference in the lives of the older adults in these areas," said AGS Executive Vice President Linda Hiddemen Barondess, announcing the grant at the FHA's annual Lifetime of Caring Gala at New York City's Pierre Hotel. "This is something to celebrate."

The LSU program was one of only two programs in Louisiana offering physicians fellowship training in geriatrics, a specialty in which there is a severe and growing shortage. The program had been housed at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, which was devastated by the hurricane in late August and will close.

Charles Cefalu, the President of the Louisiana Geriatrics Society and a former board member of the AGS, had played a pivotal role in establishing the fellowship program at Charity. And, in the aftermath of the hurricane, Dr. Cefalu worked tirelessly to relocate it, temporarily to Lafayette Charity Hospital in Lafayette, Louisiana, one of the state public hospitals governed by the LSU healthcare division. The geriatrics fellowship program will be housed within the hospital's department of family medicine. Dr. Cefalu will be the program's director and will work closely with Dr. Glen Mire, the residency director at Lafayette Charity.

Funds from the AGS, FHA, and the Hartford Foundation will support the geriatrics fellows and faculty , who will serve seniors throughout the community-now home to many older adults who were displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita-until LSU reestablishes its clinics and programs in New Orleans. The funds will be administered by the Louisiana Geriatrics Society, one of the AGS' state affiliates.

The annual FHA Lifetime of Caring Gala celebrates and supports the FHA's work on behalf of older adults. This year's Gala also celebrated the work of actress Doris Roberts, an outspoken critic of age-discrimination, who received the Foundation's Lifetime of Caring Award. Christine Poon, a Johnson & Johnson executive known as a champion of research, won the Foundation's Discovery Award.

ABOUT THE AGS
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (www.americangeriatrics.org) is a nationwide, not-for-profit association of geriatrics health care professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence, and quality of life of all older people. The Society supports this mission through activities in clinical practice, professional and public education, research, and public policy. With an active membership of over 6,500 health care professionals, the Society has become a pivotal force in shaping attitudes, policies, and practices in geriatric medicine.

ABOUT THE FHA
In 1999, the American Geriatrics Society reached beyond its traditional role as a professional medical society and launched the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA). The FHA aims to build a bridge between geriatrics health care professionals and the public, and advocate on behalf of older adults and their special needs: wellness and preventive care, self-responsibility and independence, and connections to family and community.

ABOUT THE JOHN A. HARTFORD FOUNDATION
Founded in 1929, the John A. Hartford Foundation is a committed champion of health care training, research and service system innovations that will ensure the well-being and vitality of older adults. Its overall goal is to increase the nation's capacity to provide effective, affordable care to its rapidly increasing older population. Today, the Foundation is America's leading philanthropy with a sustained interest in aging and health.