RehabCare Group and University of Missouri to Co-Host Symposium on Allied Health Workforce Shortage

Business Wire, Oct 12, 2005

ST. LOUIS & COLUMBIA, Mo. -- To address the shortage of allied health professionals that currently exists in the healthcare industry, RehabCare Group, Inc. (NYSE:RHB), a leading national provider of physical rehabilitation management services, and the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) School of Health Professions have announced they will co-sponsor the FuturePoint Summit, the first national symposium to focus on the issue. To be held November 1-2, 2005, on the campus of MU, the Summit will bring together over 50 leading healthcare executives, academic leaders, Congressional and state legislative representatives and healthcare practitioners from across the country.

John H. Short, Ph.D., RehabCare President and CEO and a keynote speaker for the event, says the group's objective will be to develop a framework for creating tangible solutions for what he describes as an escalating crisis. "For example, at a time when schools are graduating fewer therapists, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the need for physical and occupational therapists will increase by more than 30 percent by 2010," he says. "We need to take action now and collectively determine how to proliferate the field of allied health."

Dr. Short explains that the allied healthcare professional can be defined as any clinician involved in the healthcare process other than a physician or nurse -- physical and occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, dietitians, social workers and case managers, to name a few.

"Statistically, there are more allied health professionals in this country than nurses and doctors combined. And the supply-demand gap for these practitioners is greater than that of nurses," he says, referring to the nursing shortage of recent years. "Naturally, RehabCare has a stake in bringing this problem to the forefront from a business standpoint, but we also share a very real concern for the future quality of patient care."

A 23-year veteran in the physical rehabilitation industry, RehabCare employs over 8,500 licensed therapy professionals who treat more than 14,000 patients each day in inpatient, outpatient and skilled nursing settings.

Dr. Richard Oliver, Dean of the School of Health Professions at MU, says on the academic front, continued budget constraints at university, state and federal levels have compounded the problem. "These constraints have crippled our ability to provide well-trained healthcare professionals for future years," he says. "I know institutions of higher learning throughout the nation face a similar challenge." Deans of allied health schools from various universities, including Texas Tech and Marquette University, have already confirmed their attendance.

Also representing the academic community and serving as a keynote speaker will be Edward H. O'Neil, M.P.A, Ph.D., a Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Dental Public Health at the University of California. From 1989 through 1999, Dr. O'Neil was Executive Director of the Pew Health Professions Commission, a nationally recognized advocacy group focused on reform in health workforce issues.

Dr. Oliver expects the Summit participants to examine the issue on several levels - from legislative factors to educational and certification requirements that may be impeding growth. He describes the Summit as a "working" meeting with each sector represented assigned specific action steps at its conclusion. The group will reconvene early next year to follow up on appointed tasks.

Dr. Oliver invites the media to attend the closing session, to be held November 2 at 4:30 p.m. in the Reynolds Alumni Center of MU, where group leaders will present the meeting's findings and next steps.

"We want to educate the public, as well as policy makers, on the role of allied health professionals in the current and future state of healthcare," he concludes. "As the population of older Americans steadily rises, more and more people will be accessing healthcare services, and the industry will need to be able to respond with qualified clinicians."

The School of Health Professions at MU offers degree programs in allied health, including imaging science, diagnostic and rehabilitative professionals that require education and clinical training for certification or licensure.

RehabCare Group, with headquarters in St. Louis, MO, currently provides physical rehabilitation programs in partnership with more than 900 hospitals and skilled nursing facilities in 38 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

NOTE: More information can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.rehabcare.com or http://www.umshp.org.