Kaine Applauds Unanimous Senate Passage of Bill to Combat Alzheimer’s Disease

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, applauded unanimous Senate passage of his bipartisan BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act. This legislation reauthorizes critical funding for public health initiatives that combat Alzheimer's disease and preserve brain health, which Kaine successfully got signed into law in 2019.

"Alzheimer's disease has impacted millions of families, including my own," said Kaine. "I'm glad the Senate unanimously passed my bipartisan legislation to reauthorize public health initiatives that have improved prevention, treatment, and care for those living with Alzheimer's. I urge the President to sign it as soon as possible."

Approximately 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, and the United States spends more than $345 billion per year, including $222 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid, to manage the disease. Barring any major breakthroughs to prevent, slow down, or cure Alzheimer's, the number of Americans with Alzheimer's is expected to double by 2050, costing the nation more than $1.1 trillion per year.

The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act reauthorizes funding over the next five years to support:

• Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Public Health Centers of Excellence dedicated to promoting effective Alzheimer's disease and caregiving interventions, as well as educating the public on Alzheimer's disease, cognitive decline, and brain health. The three current Centers have established themselves as national resources and are supporting nationwide implementation of the actions outlined in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Healthy Brain Initiative's Road Map. Each center is focused on a key issue related to dementia-from risk reduction to early detection to caregiving.
• Public Health Cooperative Agreements with the CDC that are awarded to State Health Departments to help them meet local needs in promoting brain health, reducing risk of cognitive decline, improving care for those with Alzheimer's, and other key public health activities. 43 Public Health Departments, including Virginia's, across the United States are now promoting a strong public health approach to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias with the support of BOLD awards.
• Data Grants to improve the analysis and timely reporting of data on Alzheimer's, cognitive decline, caregiving, and health disparities at the state and national levels.

With Kaine's support, funding for the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer Act has grown from $10 million in Fiscal Year 2020 to $34 million in Fiscal Year 2024. In 2019, the Virginia Department of Health received over $900,000 in funding from BOLD Program Awards. This investment has allowed for great progress in revising the Commonwealth's Dementia Roadmap guide for people impacted by dementia. In 2023, the Virginia Department of Health received a second BOLD award from the BOLD Public Health Programs initiative. This award provides over $2 million over five years to address provider education through projects and trainings such as Project ECHO, EssentiALZ trainings, and community health worker bilingual trainings.

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