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For Immediate Release
February 23, 2007
Contact:
Erin Weller
212-308-1414 ext. 329
eweller@americangeriatrics.org
New York, NY -- In a victory for older Americans, President Bush signed legislation last week restoring funds for Title VII Geriatrics Health Professions Programs -- federal initiatives that train a wide array of healthcare providers to better meet the unique healthcare needs of older adults.
The legislation, earlier approved by Congress, earmarks $31.5 million for the programs for the rest of fiscal year 2007, thereby restoring funding to levels previously held in 2005. Congress eliminated funding for the programs in fiscal year 2006, which led to disastrous results.
"At a time when the population of older Americans is growing dramatically, funding for Geriatrics Health Professions Programs is absolutely vital to efforts to train healthcare professionals to provide the kind of unique care older people need," says Jane Potter, M.D., Professor and Chief of the Section of Geriatrics at the University of Nebraska and President of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS).
The AGS and its Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs (ADGAP), their members and other supporters of quality healthcare for older adults conducted a nearly two-year long advocacy campaign on behalf of funding for the programs.
"Just as children have different healthcare needs than adults, older people have different healthcare needs than younger adults," Dr. Potter explains. "They often have multiple chronic health conditions and take multiple medications. And, they tend to respond to medications differently than younger people and have atypical symptoms of illnesses. Healthcare providers need training to provide the kind of healthcare older adults need."
Title VII funds help healthcare providers better meet the healthcare needs of older adults by supporting the nation's Geriatric Education Centers (GECs), geriatric faculty fellowships, and Geriatric Academic Career Awards (GACAs). In 2005 alone, the nation's 50 GECs provided cost-effective geriatrics training to more than 50,000 healthcare providers who had over 8.6 million office and other visits with older patients.
After a year without federal funding, both the GECs and fellowship programs were at risk of closing. Closures would have further exacerbated the nationwide shortage of geriatrics care providers, discouraged academic geriatricians from remaining in the field to train the next generation of providers, and threatened the nation's ability to provide high quality care to older Americans. A recent AGS survey found that there is currently one geriatrician for every 5,000 Americans over the age of 65. This problem will grow increasingly worse as baby boomers become older adults.
"Restoration of Title VII funding for 2007 was a crucial step in the right direction, but there are many challenges ahead," says Dr. Potter.
President Bush's proposed 2008 budget would not only cut all funding for Title VII Geriatrics Health Professions Programs next year, it also calls for unprecedented cuts in Medicare spending that would seriously limit older Americans' access to quality healthcare. AGS, ADGAP and other concerned organizations are already advocating for continued - and increased - Title VII Geriatrics Health Professions Program funding in 2008 and other measures to ensure quality care to older citizens.
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. The FHA champions initiatives in public education, clinical research, and public policy that advance the principles and practice of geriatrics medicine; educate policy makers and the public on the health care needs and concerns of older adults; support aging research that reduces disability and frailty, and improves quality of life and health outcomes; encourage older adults to be effective advocates for their own health care; and help family members and caregivers take better care of their older loved ones and themselves.
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