A shortage of workers in allied health fields is more severe than the widely-publicized nursing shortage, said Olive Kimball, chairman of the NIU Allied Health Professions department.

The demand for allied health professionals, including physical therapists, occupational therapists and medical laboratory personnel, is expected to rise by 87 percent by the year 2000, she said. The occupations of about 64 percent of all health care workers fall into the allied health category, she said.

Kimball participated as a consultant in a recent study, “Allied Health Services: Avoiding Crises”, for which she received the American Association of Allied Health Professionals Board Award in November. The report was presented to Congress in January, she said.

Low wages and expanding opportunities for women in the work force are two reasons for the shortage, she said.

“People are not going to go into a field that requires more of their time for less money,” Kimball said, adding the number of applicants to medical schools also has decreased in recent years.

“This situation will impact the quality of (health) care for the whole country,” she said.

Physical therapists are in such high demand that “some graduates get jobs with salaries somewhat higher than some faculty,” she said. The shortage is worse in rural areas than major cities, she said.

Kimball said a lack of state funding makes expanding NIU’s allied health offerings impossible. This year, 12 junior students were accepted into the program, out of about 300 applicants, she said.

“Some people hope that the 101st Congress will see fit to provide funds for some of these things,” Kimball said.

The report to Congress recommended more funding for eligible students in educational programs and expanded “traineeship” programs, she said.