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Sen. Warner joins Alzheimer task force as co-chair

Sen. Warner joins Alzheimer task force as co-chair
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March 10, 2009
Email: media@alz.org
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Sen. Warner joins Alzheimer task force as co-chair

The Alzheimer's Association is pleased that Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) has agreed to co-chair the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease. Warner joins existing co-chairs Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Chris Smith (R-N.J.). Warner will contribute his own significant knowledge of Alzheimer issues to the task force's commendable work in advancing Alzheimer research and awareness.

In his distinguished career, Warner has provided leadership on a number of areas important to Alzheimer families. Touched by Alzheimer's when his mother was diagnosed with the disease, the former Virginia governor personally understands the plight of the 10 million Alzheimer caregivers across the country grappling with the challenges of caring for a loved one with the disease.

By championing SeniorNavigator.com, an online portal and volunteer network, he provided Virginia families with health and aging resources, information, and tools. He also was instrumental in co-founding the Virginia Health Care Foundation, an organization created to improve access to health care and shore up local delivery systems for Virginia's uninsured and underserved.

The Alzheimer's Association hopes that Warner's new role as Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease co-chair will provide him with an even greater platform to shed light on the escalating Alzheimer crisis.

Founded in 1999, the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease created a vehicle within Congress to focus national attention on Alzheimer's and the grave public health threat it presents. Working to bring Alzheimer's to the forefront of the congressional agenda, the task force has advocated for increased funding for Alzheimer research at the National Institutes of Health and improved care for the more than 5 million Americans living with the disease.

The task force also joined with the Alzheimer's Association in calling for the creation of the Alzheimer's Study Group, a blue-ribbon panel charged with assessing the nation's readiness for the emerging Alzheimer threat. A final report from the group is expected to be released at the end of March.

The Alzheimer's Association looks forward to continued work with Warner and other members of the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease in making Alzheimer's the national priority it deserves to be.

About the Alzheimer's Association

The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia®. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

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