January 26, 2016

Elizabeth Eckstrom, M.D., associate professor of medicine, OHSU School of Medicine, appeared this week in the New York Times as part of a national conversation surrounding the decline of physicians practicing geriatrics. 

"Here in Oregon, there is approximately one geriatrician for every 3,000 people over 75. The shortage will grow more acute as the state's population continues to age.

Oregon's problem is mirrored across the United States. According to projections based on census data, by the year 2030, roughly 31 million Americans will be older than 75, the largest such population in American history. There are about 7,000 geriatricians in practice today in the United States. The American Geriatrics Society estimates that to meet the demand, medical schools would have train at least 6,250 additional geriatricians between now and 2030, or about 450 more a year than the current rate."

Read the full story at the New York Times

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