Info Alert: .
I am sad to report that with the signing by the president of the fiscal year 2006 appropriations bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (H.R. 3010), it became official that the GPE Program will be reduced from $4.5 million to $2 million. Since the three year cycle for the geropsychology training grants ends in September 2006, the Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr) will not hold another competition. The other GPE grants that are still in cycle will continue; however, at slightly reduced funding to compensate for the overall loss of funding. Not only will the geropsychology training grants be terminated but all BHPr geriatric training programs have been eliminated including the Geriatric Education Centers, the Geriatric Training for Physicians and Dentists and the Geriatric Faculty Fellowships (in medicine) at a total funding level of $31.5 million.
It is interesting to note that same fate was proposed for rural health programs (i.e, Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Programs: Rural Education Centers and Area Health Education Centers, Rural Health Outreach Grants and the Office of Rural Health) but a bipartisan group of legislators refused to support the conference bill without reinstatement of all these programs except for the BHPr Rural Education Centers. The only program not refunded among those focusing on rural health was for training.
It is ironic that all the HRSA geriatric programs were eliminated considering the recent White House Conference on Aging and the success of those trying to promote geriatric education as well as mental health. Now, the aging community needs to double its efforts to garner Congressional champions to get funding for critical geriatric health programs (including mental and behavioral health) and including training. We need to start with restoring the funding for the GPE geropsychology grants.
Nina Gail Levitt, EdD Director for Education Policy Public Policy Office American Psychological Association 750 First Street NE Washington, DC 20002-4242 202-336-6023 202-336-6063 (fax) Email: nlevitt@apa.org www.apa.org/ed
