The Biden administration has awarded $206.3 million of funding to clinician training programs to bolster the nation’s geriatrics care workforce.
Announced Monday, the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program’s funds will reach 42 different universities and provider organizations across the country. The payments range from about $2.9 million to $5 million between the recipients.
With this, programs training primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and other clinicians will be able to integrate geriatrics training—particularly related to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias—into primary care.
Health and Human Services (HHS), in its announcement, noted that primary care providers such as those being trained by the recipient programs are a go-to source of care for much of the aging population.
Additionally, programs receiving the funds will “work in the community” to educate older adults’ family members and other caregivers on their care needs, HHS said.
“Among the most trusted people in the lives of older adults are their family members and their caregivers, including their primary care provider,” Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator Carole Johnson said in the announcement. “At the Health Resources and Services Administration, we are committed to supporting the clinicians that older patients trust to care for them as they age, especially those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.”
The healthcare industry is staring down a long-term shortage of clinicians across numerous specialties, though primary care is one of several sore spots. Per the Association of American Medical Colleges, the country is projected to be short anywhere from 20,200 to 40,400 primary care physicians by 2036.
The so-called Silver Tsunami is a major driver of that demand, especially when about 30% of those over 65 years require care from a primary care geriatrician. The issue has been a focus for HHS and HRSA, which in a 2017 report warned of a geriatrician shortage across “all regions” of the country.
“For the Biden-Harris Administration, meeting the healthcare needs of older adults is a top priority,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “That’s why we are helping to build the healthcare workforce needed to care for our friends and family members as they age. The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to support the caregivers and family members who are essential to the well-being of older adults.”