Title VII Geriatrics Health Professions Advocacy Works!

Restoration of Funds Expected In Wake of Months of Intense Advocacy Work by AGS and ADGAP Members, the AGS, Other Supporters

A budgetary Continuing Resolution (CR) that would restore federal funds for Title VII Geriatrics Health Professions Programs won the overwhelming endorsement of the House of Representatives in late January. As this issue of AGS News went to press just days later, the Senate was expected to approve the measure, and the President, to sign it.

The House vote came in the wake of a concerted advocacy push by AGS and ADAGP members, and the AGS in coalition with other organizations and supporters that began in May 2005, when it first became apparent that funding for the programs was in jeopardy. In December 2005, Congress voted to eliminate Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 funds for Title VII Geriatrics Health Professions Programs - with devastating results - but supporters only intensified efforts on behalf of funding.

The $463.5 billion CR would allocate $31.5 million for Title VII Geriatrics Health Professions Programs for the remainder of FY 2007. The programs received that level of funding in FY 2005. Title VII Geriatrics Health Professions Program funds support geriatric faculty fellowships, the geriatric academic career award program, and the nation's Geriatric Education Centers.

Congress has already passed a CR that funds federal programs at FY 2006 levels through February 15. The pending CR would cover spending from February 16th to September 30, the last day of FY 2007. All told, the resolution would allocate $184.7 million for Title VII Health Professions Programs in general -- 27% more than was allocated for the programs in FY 2006. In FY 2005, the programs were funded at $300 million but overall funding was cut by roughly half the following year and funding for geriatrics programs was eliminated.

In May of 2005, when AGS first learned that Title VII Geriatrics Health Professions Programs funding was on the block, the Society launched the first of dozens of alerts and campaigns urging Title VII grantees, AGS members and others to contact their Congressmen in support of the programs. Among other things, AGS provided sample letters to legislators, key phone numbers and other support information. Grantees, members and other advocates responded, joining the first of numerous, vigorous grassroots advocacy campaigns on behalf of the initiatives. AGS stepped up the alerts and the campaigns intensified in June 2005 when the House approved a measure to eliminate the funding. Though the Senate approved a proposal earmarking $29.5 million for the programs in November 2005, both chambers voted in late December 2005 to zero out Title VII Geriatrics Health Professions Programs funding.

In early January 2006, while the House and Senate began developing their budget proposals for FY 2007, AGS launched another major advocacy effort to have funding reinstated. The Society urged grantees, members and others to contact not only their legislators, but also the media to explain the ramifications of the funding cuts.

In early March, AGS launched its online Health in Aging Advocacy Center, equipped tools designed to make it easy to get involved, and get others involved, in advocacy on behalf of Title VII funding and other issues central to quality care for older Americans. The number of active advocates increased dramatically after the Center launched, with AGS and ADGAP members taking advantage of its "Tell a Friend" feature to enlist friends and family as participants. Within days of launching the Center, AGS urged members and other supporters to visit the site and urge their Senators to back an amendment to the Senate Budget Resolution that would increase 2007 funding for health and education programs by $7 billion. The amendment, proposed by Sens. Arlen Specter (R-A) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) made restoration of Title VII Geriatrics Health Professions Programs funding a possibility. Numerous members, friends and other supporters advocated passage and the Specter/Harkin Amendment was approved by the Senate in mid March. Members and friends rallied again later that month, both writing letters in support of Title VII Geriatrics Healthcare Professions Program funding to members of the House Budget Committee, and visiting the Advocacy Center to contact the Senate Appropriations committee and urge it to include funds for the program in its 2007 budget proposal.

Toward the end of the month, then AGS President David Reuben, MD, published an article -- "Caring for Mom and Dad as They Grow Older: What Baby Boomers Need to Know About Geriatric Health Care"-- that explained why the loss of Title VII funding for Geriatrics Health Professions Programs dealt a blow to efforts to prepare for the aging of the US population. Over the next 10 months, the article was picked up by more than 650 newspapers with more than 27 million readers. Other AGS members also wrote compelling defenses of Title VII funding that appeared in their state and local papers.

In early June, the House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee allocated $31.5 million for Title VII Geriatrics Health Professions Programs for FY 2007, and AGS and ADGAP members and friends, at the urging of the Society, continued to press their legislators to support funding restoration.

Work on the budget stalled, however, as Congress began to focus more intently on the upcoming November election, which shifted control of both chambers from the Republican to the Democratic party. Neither the House nor the Senate had approved 2007 health, education and labor appropriations bills by late November and inside sources told AGS that the lame duck Congress was unlikely to address Title VII funding. AGS and members continued to advocate for timely restoration of funding.

"After more than a year and a half of concerted advocacy work involving dedicated AGS and ADGAP members , the Society, and other advocates for quality healthcare for older Americans, it looks as though we will now see these crucial funds restored," says AGS President Jane Potter, MD. "This is truly, truly gratifying. I want to thank each and every member and all the other advocates for quality care who invested so much time and effort to see this through. Advocacy works!"