Aging Institute May Die Before its Time, Due To Economic Conditions Yet Washington Based Non-Profit Organization Forges Ahead with Scheduled Landmark Conference
In the face of the most difficult economic times in 20 years, the much-anticipated first Think Tank Summit and Town Forum, hosted by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Aging and Geriatric Medicine, on The Healthcare Challenges & Opportunities for America's Aging Population, scheduled for Thursday, September 17, 2009, from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm at the George Washington University's Marvin Betts Center Auditorium, may not occur as planned.
Gaithersburg, MD (PRWEB) July 6, 2009
In the face of the most difficult economic times in 20 years, the much-anticipated first Think Tank Summit and Town Forum, hosted by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Aging and Geriatric Medicine, on The Healthcare Challenges & Opportunities for America's Aging Population, scheduled for Thursday, September 17, 2009, from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm at the George Washington University's Marvin Betts Center Auditorium, may not occur as planned.
The Think Tank Summit Conference and Town Forum is scheduled to feature leaders from government agencies, insurance companies, hospitals and pharmaceutical firms will join 12 participating Physician Thought Leaders in an effort to determine the impact of the enormous growth of America's aging population in their specific area of medical expertise with a focus on the implications over the next two decades.
This first-of-its-kind summit is poised to create a path that will address the issues of aging and geriatric medicine in the context of health care policies: current and proposed. "The combination of aging baby boomers and medical and scientific advances mean more of us are living far longer than before," said Institute Executive Director Renie Freedman. "This means within 20 years, the U. S. will be dealing with unprecedented numbers of elderly citizens, many will be healthier but still 80 percent will have health issues requiring medical intervention; much of which will be prohibitively expensive based upon current projections. The Summit is designed to provide a critical look at our current medical model and the various proposed health care reform proposals, which will be an essential step toward providing that solution."
"The goal of the conference is to put issues facing the healthcare system in the context that enables us to make viable decisions for future implementation," says Chairman of the Board Rick Hindin.
According to Hindin, the event will begin with a keynote address from Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) before transitioning to a panel of 12 participating Physician Thought Leaders. Each specialist will outline the state of medical care prevalent within his or her field today, then 'paint a picture' of a future scenario based on the projection that Americans over age 65 will double in number from 35 million to 70 million by the year 2030. "Each field - whether it's heart disease, diabetes, dementia or others - will face its own unique set of challenges," says Hindin.
Once the magnitude of the pending reality is more clearly defined, the Institute's next step will be to identify a means to effectively respond to those challenges. "At the end of the day, the goal of the conference is to create a model which addresses the challenges of providing quality treatment at a lower expense and with an emphasis on quality of life," says Hindin.
Launching such a program in the midst of the current economic downturn, could keep the project in its embryonic stages," says Freedman. "At the moment, research-oriented non-profit organizations are among the hardest-hit and we're no different. We maintain our hope that with a minimum of funding we will bring focus to this issue that is so obviously significant to our nation's well being. At no time in our history was this question so incredibly important, and it comes at a time when full and vigorous discussion might be hampered by the fiscal reality of an economic recession.
We need to secure the appropriate levels of funding and we are presently $350,000 short of that benchmark." We are working with several donors and underwriters and will continue to forge ahead and hopefully make this important landmark conference happen as planned" stated Renie Freedman.
The conference will be open to the public free of charge, although only limited seating will be available. For information on both the conference and the Institute, please visit www. iasia. org or contact Renie Freedman at 301-921-2185 X222 or rfreedman(at)iasia(dot)org.
About The Institute for Advanced Studies in Aging & Geriatric Medicine (www. iasia. org)
IASIA was founded in 1985 by Lynne Kamins and the Institute's first Scientific Director, Dr. Allan Goldstein (then-Chairman of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The George Washington University School of Medicine) through their mutual passionate concern about human suffering from age-related diseases. In 2003, Dr. William Ershler became the Institute's Scientific Director and the focus shifted from Immunology and Aging to Aging and Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Ershler currently serves as the Deputy Clinical Director of the Intermural Research Program at the National Institute on Aging at NIH.
The Institute, is a 501c-3, non-profit biomedical research and educational organization that accelerates the pace of scientific discovery in the multi-faceted field of human aging by both conducting needed clinical research and facilitating education by uniting researchers, educators & clinicians. The Institute is totally independent, not aligned with or sponsored by any single organization. The Institute seeks funding for The Think Tank Summit & Town Forum from a variety of contributors, including local and national corporations, foundation, and private gifts. For more information about the Institute, The Think Tank Summit & Town Forum and tax-exempt gift opportunities, call Renie Freedman at 301-921-2185 X222 or rfreedman(at)iasia(dot)org.
###
