“Alzheimer’s is the most under-recognized threat to public health in the 21st century”

- Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General and former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director

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Working with bipartisan Congressional champions, the Alzheimer’s Association through the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) was instrumental in the development and introduction of the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act (S. 2076/H.R. 4256). The bill would create an Alzheimer’s public health infrastructure across the country to implement effective Alzheimer's interventions focused on public health issues such as increasing early detection and diagnosis, reducing risk and preventing avoidable hospitalizations. The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act would also increase implementation of the Healthy Brain Initiative's Public Health Road Mapnationwide by establishing Alzheimer’s centers of excellence, providing cooperative agreements to public health departments, and increasing data collection, analysis and timely reporting. Learn more about the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act below.

 

Specifically, the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act would direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to:

 

Establish Alzheimer’s Centers of Excellence:

• The Centers will increase education of public health officials, health care professionals, and the public on Alzheimer’s, brain health, and health disparities.

• The Centers will also provide technical assistance to public health departments across the country in implementing effective Alzheimer’s interventions.

• These interventions will focus on priorities such as increasing early detection and diagnosis, reducing risk, preventing avoidable hospitalizations, reducing health disparities, supporting the needs of caregivers and supporting care planning for people living with the disease.

• Finally, the Centers will expand innovative public private partnerships that focus on addressing cognitive impairment and health disparities.

 

Award cooperative agreements to public health departments:

• This funding will help public health departments implement effective Alzheimer’s interventions, including those identified by the Alzheimer’s Centers of Excellence.

• This funding will also help public health departments implement strategic actions identified in the Healthy Brain Initiative’s Public Health Road Map.

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Increase data collection, analysis and timely reporting:

Cooperative agreements to public or nonprofit private entities will increase the analysis and timely public reporting of data on Alzheimer’s, caregiving, and health disparities.

• This data will be collected using tools like the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

• This funding will also help monitor the progress of the Alzheimer’s and caregiving objectives in the Healthy People 2020 report.

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Fact sheet:

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