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For Immediate Release:
September 14, 2023
Contact:
Grace Hoge
[email protected]
ICYMI: Kansas Health Care Worker Shortage Could be Addressed with Medicaid Expansion
KEY QUOTE: “Annette Graham, executive director of the Central Plains Area Agency on Aging, said the workforce shortage in geriatrics and older adult mental health is “dismal.” [...] In 2019, Graham was a member of a task force created by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly to provide recommendations for ways the state could improve Alzheimer’s care. During their meetings, a Wichita resident told their story of having to leave the state to get a diagnosis.”
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According to the [Alzheimer’s Association special] report, about 62,000 people are expected to have Alzheimer’s disease in Kansas by 2025.
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Meanwhile, there are just 20 geriatricians statewide. To meet the predicted long-term demand, the state would have to increase those numbers by a whopping 505%.
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This data reinforces the shortage noted in a 2017 report by the Alzheimer’s Association finding Kansas is one of 20 states known as “dementia neurology deserts,” meaning Kansas is expected to have fewer than 10 neurologists per 10,000 people with dementia by 2025.
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The number of aging Baby Boomers, combined with low staffing and new medications that make catching the condition early crucial, has left the industry scrambling for ways to find solutions to the problem.
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Getting an early diagnosis can also help save vast amounts of money. The 2023 Alzheimer’s report noted that, if 88% of patients who develop Alzheimer’s were diagnosed when they had mild cognitive impairment, rather than in later stages, it could save $7 trillion.
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These savings would be from lower care costs right before and after the diagnosis and lower medical and long-term care costs over time.
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