The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) today announced five grants totaling $1.6 million to improve the ability of health professionals to provide medical care for elderly Americans.
 
“To care for our nation’s elderly – and the soon-to-be seniors of the baby-boom generation – we need more health professionals who can address their specific medical needs,” Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said.
 
Geriatric education centers train health professions faculty, students and practitioners in the diagnosis and treatment of seniors’ health problems.  The program supports training involving four or more health professions, one of which must be allopathic or osteopathic medicine.  Since 1985, more than 375,000 health professionals have received training in geriatrics through the HRSA-funded centers.
 
“These institutions will help to increase the number of health professionals trained to meet the needs of older patients,” HRSA Administrator Elizabeth M. Duke said.
 
The grants are listed below:
 

HRSA Geriatric Education Center Grants, FY 2003
Organization	City	State	Amount
University of Alaska	Anchorage	Alaska	$421,600
University of California, San Francisco	San Francisco	Calif.	$413,273
Des Moines University	Des Moines	Iowa	$398,431
University of New England	Biddeford	Maine	$186,711
University of Texas Medical Branch	Galveston	Texas	$215,932
TOTAL:			$1,635,947