Capito, Colleagues’ Bill to Expand Alzheimer’s Care and Prevention Efforts to Be Signed into Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate passed the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act of 2024, bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.). The legislation passed by voice vote.

"Over the years, the BOLD Act has begun its work to create an Alzheimer's disease public health infrastructure across the country," Ranking Member Capito said. "By empowering our federal and state public health agencies to play an expanded role in areas such as increasing early detection and supporting dementia caregiving, this legislation is having a direct impact on millions of Americans living with Alzheimer's disease and their families. This remains a very personal priority for me and I am thrilled it has taken another step closer to being reauthorized. I urge the president to quickly sign this important piece of legislation so we can continue the momentum and work to provide hope for those touched by this devastating disease."

"Alzheimer's disease is one of the greatest and most under-recognized public health threats of our time. Nearly seven million Americans-including 29,600 Mainers-are living with the disease, and that number is soaring as our overall population grows older and lives longer," Senator Collins said. "The passage of this bipartisan legislation is a tremendous victory for families and communities nationwide. By reauthorizing the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act, we are reaffirming our commitments to providing the tools needed to fight this devastating disease, and to not let Alzheimer's be one of the defining diseases of our children's generation as it has ours."

"We are grateful to Sens. Susan Collins, Catherine Cortez Masto, Tim Kaine, and Shelley Moore Capito for their dedication to the Alzheimer's and dementia community and commitment to advancing bipartisan public health solutions," Robert Egge, Alzheimer's Association chief public policy officer and AIM president, said. "The Senate passage of the bipartisan BOLD Reauthorization Act will continue to help public health departments implement effective strategies that promote brain health and support individuals living with dementia and their caregivers."

BACKGROUND:

The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act will reauthorize funding for public health initiatives across the country to combat Alzheimer's disease and preserve brain health. These initiatives began when the original BOLD Act, authored by this same bipartisan group of four senators, was signed into law in 2018. The bill now heads to the president's desk to be signed into law.

The bill will authorize $33 million per year 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 CDC's 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. More than 40 Public Health Departments, 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.

Approximately 6.9 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, and the United States spends more than $360 billion per year, including $231 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid. Barring any major breakthroughs to prevent, slow down, or cure Alzheimer's, the number of Americans with Alzheimer's is expected to double by 2060, costing the nation more than $1.1 trillion per year.

The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act is endorsed by the Alzheimer's Association, the Alzheimer's Impact Movement, and UsAgainstAlzheimer's.

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