I wanted to share with you this happy information being distributed by the Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA) of which APA is an active member about the geriatric provisions in Health Care Reform. I need to recognize Diane Elmore of the APA Public Interest Government Relations Office for all of her amazing work on the EWA policy committee, most recently as its chair, to get psychology so represented at the big table. Also thanks to Catherine Grus (Associate Executive Director) and Nina Levitt (Director of the Education Government Relations Office) both of the APA Education Directorate who have also been VERY active with the EWA. We’ll see how this all plays out and keep you updated. Debbie
| Deborah DiGilio| Director, Office on Aging | |
| P Please consider the environment before printing this email. | |
From: Rachel Shiffrin [mailto:rshiffrin@eldercareworkforce.org]
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2010 10:46 AM
To: Steven Dawson; 'Nancy Lundebjerg'
Subject: EWA - Health Care Reform Workforce Provisions
Good morning Alliance
It is my pleasure to update you on the workforce provisions that were included in last night's historic vote of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR 3590). Thanks to your help, these important provisions expand existing geriatric education and training programs and authorize critically needed new initiatives to ensure a sufficient health care workforce to meet the needs of our rapidly increasing aging population. We look forward to building on our momentum and continuing this work throughout the year.
These provisions include:
Geriatric Health Professions Education and Training
· Providing grants to geriatric education centers (GECs) to support training in geriatrics, chronic care management, and long-term care for faculty in medical schools and other health professions schools.
· Expanding eligibility for Geriatric Academic Career Awards (GACAs) to faculty in the fields of nursing, social work, psychology and pharmacy, dentistry, and allied health professions.
· Establishing federal traineeships for individuals who are preparing for advanced degrees in geriatric nursing, long-term care, and gero-psychiatric nursing.
· Providing grants to foster greater interest among health professionals (advanced practice nurses, clinical social workers, pharmacists, students of psychology) to enter the field of geriatrics, long-term care, and chronic care management.
Direct Care Workforce Training
· Establishing grants to provide training opportunities for direct-care workers employed in long-term care settings such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home care.
Family Caregiver Training
· Requiring federally funded GECs to offer 1 of 2 required activities (in addition to health professions training), one of these activities being to provide at least two courses each year, at no charge or nominal cost, to family caregivers who support frail older adults and individuals with disabilities, in collaboration with appropriate community partners.
National Health Care Workforce Commission
establishes a Commission that will set the nation on a path toward recruiting, training, and retaining a health workforce that meets the nation's current and future health care needs.
National Center
In order to assess the effectiveness and impact of the above proposals, and to ensure that our nation continues to adequately address the need for training and expansion of the eldercare workforce, the EWA supports the establishment of a new Center to describe and analyze this workforce.
Creates a chronic care coordination pilot project to bring primary care services to the highest cost Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions in their home. Interdisciplinary teams of health care professionals caring for patients with multiple chronic conditions in their homes would be eligible for shared-savings if they achieve quality outcomes, costs savings and patient satisfaction.
Community Living Assistance Services and Supports
We also strongly support the inclusion of provisions from the late Senator Kennedy’s CLASS Act (S. 697) that will enable older Americans with functional disabilities to remain in their homes and communities. By establishing a new voluntary national insurance program, this proposal will help adults who have or who develop functional impairment to remain independent, employed, and residing and engaged in their communities.
Again -- our sincere thanks for what we have accomplished thus far.
__________________________
Rachel Shiffrin
Project Coordinator
(202) 266-0447 (p)
(202) 544-5197 (f)
rshiffrin@eldercareworkforce.org
