[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 31, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S4073]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER (for herself and Ms. Collins):
  S. 750. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to attract and 
retain trained health care professionals and direct care workers 
dedicated to providing quality care to the growing population of older 
Americans; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, the need for health care reform is 
undeniable and we must undertake comprehensive efforts to provide 
quality care for our Nation's diverse populations, particularly older 
Americans. Our aging population is expected to almost double in number, 
from 37 million people today to about 72 million by 2030. If we fail to 
prepare, our Nation will face a crisis in providing care to these older 
Americans. We must start now if we are going to adequately train the 
health care workforce to meet the needs of an aging America.
  Health care providers with the necessary training to give older 
Americans the best care are in critically short supply. In its landmark 
report, Retooling for an Aging America, the Institute of Medicine 
concluded that action must be taken immediately to address the severe 
workforce shortages in the care of older adults.
  According to the Institute of Medicine, only about 7,100 U.S. 
physicians are certified geriatricians today; 36,000 are needed by 
2030. Just 4 percent of social workers and only 3 percent of advance 
practice nurses specialize in geriatrics. Recruitment and retention of 
direct care workers is also a looming crisis due to low wages and few 
benefits, lack of career advancement, and inadequate training.
  Preparing our workforce for the job of caring for older Americans is 
an essential part of ensuring the future health of our nation. Right 
now, there is a critical shortage of health care providers with the 
necessary training and skills to provide our seniors with the best 
possible care. This is a tremendously important issue for American 
families who are concerned about quality of care and quality of life 
for their older relatives and friends.
  It is clear that there is a need for federal action to address these 
issues, and that is why Senator Collins and I are introducing the 
Caring for an Aging America Act. This legislation would help attract 
and retain trained health care professionals and direct care workers 
dedicated to providing quality care to the growing population of older 
Americans by providing them with meaningful loan forgiveness and career 
advancement opportunities.
  Specifically, for health professionals who complete specialty 
training in geriatrics or gerontology--including physicians, physician 
assistants, advance practice nurses, social workers, pharmacists and 
psychologists--the legislation would link educational loan repayment to 
a service commitment to the aging population, modeled after the 
successful National Health Services Corps. The bill would also expand 
loan repayment for registered nurses who complete specialty training in 
geriatric care and who choose to work in long-term care settings, and 
expand career advancement opportunities for direct care workers by 
offering specialty training in long-term care services. Lastly, the 
legislation would establish a health and long-term care workforce 
advisory panel for an aging America.
  In addition, I was pleased to work with the Alzheimer's Association 
and the American Geriatrics Society to ensure that this legislation 
will also help provide a workforce to meet the needs of older Americans 
with dementia, Alzheimer's and other cognitive disorders.
  Ensuring we have a well-trained health care workforce with the skills 
to care for our aging population is a critical investment in America's 
future. This legislation offers a modest but important step toward 
creating the future health care workforce that our Nation so urgently 
needs.
  I look forward to working with Senator Collins and our colleagues to 
ensure that we meet our obligations to the seniors of our Nation to 
improve their care.
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