![[Photo of a diverse group of older people gathering around a woman holding a cell phone for a selfie photograph.]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/medium_image/public/prb_01-24-aging-fact-sheet.png?itok=CvL7AHzT "The U.S population is older today than it has ever been. And that older population is more racially and ethnically diverse than ever, too. Between now and 2050, the share of older Americans identifying as non-Hispanic white is projected to drop from 75% to 60%, according to the Population Reference Bureau.")
The U.S population is older today than it has ever been. And that older population is more racially and ethnically diverse than ever, too. Between now and 2050, the share of older Americans identifying as non-Hispanic white is projected to drop from 75% to 60%, according to the Population Reference Bureau.
Mindy Fain, MD, co-director of the Arizona Center on Aging and chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine, or GGP division, in the Department of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson, received a nearly $5 million, five-year grant in June from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support the Arizona Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP).
HSRA is a unit of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
These federal funds aim to educate and train health care and supportive care workforces to provide age-friendly and dementia-friendly services for older adults in integrated geriatrics and primary care systems.
A leader in geriatric education and policy, Dr. Fain said, “These funds will allow our team to provide geriatrics clinical training to staff and students in tribal, underserved, and rural areas across Arizona. We will focus on a specific geographical area each year to further collaborative partnerships and provide focused training opportunities.”
![[Portrait of Mindy Fain, MD]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/fain-mindy_nhg_7121-inline_092921_100x150px_2.jpg "Mindy Fain, MD")
“My goal for five years from now,” she added, “is to have provided statewide education to various audiences and sites, such as critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, tribal sites and clinics, and assisted-living and long-term care facilities.”
The GWEP refunding was part of a larger $206 million investment by the Biden-Harris Administration into further developing the nation’s geriatric workforce for rapidly changing needs of the country’s elderly population. Arizona’s portion of that is $4,923,639, administered statewide through the Center on Aging.
The number of Americans ages 65 and older is projected to increase from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million by 2050 (a 47% increase), and the 65-and-older age group’s share of the total population is projected to rise from 17% to 23%, according to a January factsheet from the Washington, DC-based Population Reference Bureau.
Meanwhile, the number of Arizonans ages 60+ will increase by about 38.5% from 2020 to 2040, according to the Arizona State Plan on Aging (2023-2026).
Visit the Arizona Center on Aging or the college’s GGP division to learn more about the university’s work in this field.
This news also appeared in the July 16 issue of The Current, a newsletter of the University of Arizona Office of Research, Innovation & Impact.
ALSO SEE:
“Biden-Harris Administration Invests Over $200 Million to Help Primary Care Doctors, Nurses, and Other Health Care Providers Improve Care for Older Adults” | Posted July 1, 2024
“Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) Awardees” | Posted June 30, 2024
“‘Aging and Our Immunity’ Theme of UA Arthritis Center’s 16th Annual Living Healthy With Arthritis Conference, Jan. 27” | Posted Jan. 5, 2018
“Chief Residents, Community Providers from Across Southern Arizona Participate in Complex Care Training through UA Center on Aging” | Posted Aug. 18, 2017
“AzAHEC Grant to Improve Training, Education and Coordination among Cochise County Elderly Care Providers” | Posted May 21, 2017
“UA Center on Aging Awarded $2.5 Million Grant to Better Prepare Arizona’s Geriatric Health-care Workforce” | Posted July 24, 2015