Each year, the federal government funds only 48 Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Programs (GWEP) in 38 states, and 26 Geriatric Academic Career Award (GACA) programs through the Health Resources and Services Administration(HRSA). Many of these GWEP program sites across the nation are about to be axed based on the recent funding announcement from HRSA and the lack of adequate funding levels from Congress.
We all have heard the statistics on the aging of our population, yet GWEPs and GACA programs are the only federal programs designed to develop a health care workforce specifically trained to care for the complex health needs of older Americans with the most effective and efficient methods, providing higher quality care and saving valuable resources by reducing unnecessary costs in Medicare and Medicaid particularly.
The current 48 GWEP sites are a critical part of the care infrastructure and the nation’s eldercare workforce. Proven results from activities under GWEPs and GACA programs include an important increase in the number of teaching faculty with geriatrics expertise in a variety of disciplines, plus thousands of health care providers and family caregivers better prepared to support older Americans with complex chronic conditions.
The individuals who receive training are the frontline health professionals and workforce who take care of us, our families, and our neighbors, many of whom have serious illnesses. According to HRSA data, in Academic Year 2022-2023, GWEP and GACA grantees provided training for 67,154 health care professionals, students, patients and caregivers in a variety of geriatrics-focused degree programs, field placements, and fellowships. A total of 56,716 individuals completed trainings including 24,892 physicians, 5,217 nursing students, and 4,135 medical students. Continuing education for the current workforce is another critical part of the program’s success and 410,000 individuals received continuing education through the HRSA Geriatrics Programs, including 280,242 patients and caregivers, 81,641 practicing health care professionals, and 48,760 other professionals (e.g., firefighters and law enforcement).
So, why are we focused on the GWEP/GACA programs? Because C-TAC has been a long-time supporter of teaching the fundamentals of collaborative, patient-centered care to improve health and well-being outcomes. C-TAC provided language in the last GWEP/GACA reauthorization highlighting advance care planning and palliative care as areas of great importance for GWEP training programs. Unfortunately, HRSA announced recently that it will be closing 19 GWEP sites following this year’s funding. The total number of sites will drop from 48 to 42 with 13 new sites being funded to address geographic distribution issues. So, although there will be 13 new GWEP sites, this comes at the cost of closing 19 current sites. It is our understanding that many (if not all) of the GWEP sites that will lose their funding after July of this year performed well and were approved but not funded by HRSA. Although HRSA has increased the per GWEP grants, Congress has not provided enough funding to HRSA to fund all of the current and new GWEP sites that are needed.
The National Association for Geriatric Education (NAGE), the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), the Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA), the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), and the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) have all requested a total of at least $82 million annually for these programs for the past several years. That request would support 32 new GWEP awards and 60 GACA Program awards and increase each award appropriately. Suffice it to say, in this crisis situation for Fiscal Year 2025, GWEP advocates are asking congressional appropriators for at least enough funding to keep the current GWEPs going.
We need to keep in mind that well-trained health care professionals save the health care system billions of dollars each year and provide higher quality care to those with serious illness. GWEPs use innovation and creativity to reach healthcare providers in underserved and remote areas of the country. They have also expanded their reach to work directly with family caregivers and direct care workers, while partnering with Area Agencies on Aging, local Alzheimer’s Associations, and Visiting Nurse Associations to train staff and family caregivers. This improves the quality of health outcomes while saving valuable resources in the health care system.
The GWEP and GACA programs support C-TAC’s principles for serious illness care, which include for example, delivering care that is person- and family-centered based on each person’s physical, social, psychological, and spiritual needs which are assessed on an ongoing and standardized basis. These programs also train practitioners to provide care through a qualified core interdisciplinary team that understands the need for care that is comprehensive, coordinated, with seamless transitions, and with integration of clinical and community-based services and supports for the person and family caregiver(s).
