Washington, DC – The American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) today praised U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) for introducing the Caring for an Aging America Act of 2008, S. 2708, which seeks to enhance recruitment and retention of direct care workers in long term care settings with specialty training in geriatrics and gerontology, noting that 70 million Americans will be over the age of 65 by the year 2030 according to projections from the federal government – approximately twice the number since 2000.
“AHCA/NCAL enthusiastically supports The Caring for an Aging America Act because it helps to address the increasingly worrisome workforce issues that threaten the long term care profession’s capacity to continue providing the high quality care and services our patients need and deserve,” stated AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Bruce Yarwood. “The loan repayment and career ladder components of Senator Boxer’s bill are excellent models for building a more robust long term care workforce. AHCA/NCAL will be working throughout 2008 to garner bipartisan support for this much-needed and thoughtful legislation.”
The key provisions of the Caring for an Aging America Act of 2008 include:
Geriatric and Gerontology Loan Repayment Program – Establishes a new Geriatric and Gerontology Loan Repayment Program as part of the Health Professions and Public Health Workforce programs under Title VII of the Public Health Service Act. Loan repayment would be available for physicians, physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, psychologists, and social workers who have completed specialty training in geriatrics or gerontology, and agree to practice full-time for at least two years in long term care settings. For the first two years, a maximum of $35,000 may be repaid, while for the third and fourth years, the limit is raised to $40,000. A national advisory council would also be established for this particular program, required to report to Congress on the results and outcomes.
Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program Expansion – Expands the nursing education loan repayment program as part of the Nursing Workforce Development Programs under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act. The Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS) must ensure that registered nurses who have completed specialty training in geriatrics or gerontology and choose to practice in either home and community based or facility-based long term care settings receive funding under this program.
Career Ladder Program Expansion – Expands the Career Ladders Grants Program under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act for nurses and direct care workers by offering specialty training in the provision of long term care.
Health and Long-Term Care Workforce Advisory Panel – Establishes a new advisory panel, The Health and Long-Term Care Workforce Advisory for an Aging America, to guide the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Labor, and Congress on workforce issues related to health and long term care for the aging population. The panel would be comprised of officials from the Departments of Health and Human Services and Labor, academic institutions, consumer groups, aging advocates, health professional and paraprofessional associations, organized labor, nationally-recognized researchers in the areas of long term care workforce and geriatric care, health care and long term care associations, and private foundations.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) represent nearly 11,000 non-profit and proprietary facilities dedicated to continuous improvement in the delivery of professional and compassionate care provided daily by millions of caring employees to 1.5 million of our nation's frail, elderly and disabled citizens who live in nursing facilities, assisted living residences, subacute centers and homes for persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org or www.ncal.org.