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House shows exemplary leadership in addressing the Alzheimer’s crisis with an increase of $300 million for research

House shows exemplary leadership in addressing the Alzheimer’s crisis with an increase of $300 million for research
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June 15, 2015
Email: media@alz.org
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House shows exemplary leadership in addressing the Alzheimer’s crisis with an increase of $300 million for research

The House Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK) today proposed a $300 million increase for Alzheimer’s research as requested by Alzheimer’s Association advocates. The Alzheimer’s Association applauds this significant milestone toward reaching the levels deemed necessary by scientists to realize the goal of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease – to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s by 2025. 

“Chairman Cole displayed true leadership in the fight to end Alzheimer’s today,” said Harry Johns, president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association. “For the millions of Americans living with and caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, today’s proposal reflecting a more than a 50% increase in Alzheimer’s research funding shows that leaders on Capitol Hill are listening and prioritizing the human and fiscal crisis Alzheimer’s presents with the urgency required.”  

In March, more than 1,000 advocates from all 50 states gathered in the nation’s capital for the Alzheimer’s Association Advocacy Forum and asked their legislators for this increase of $300 million for Alzheimer’s research. The following month, Robert Egge, executive vice president of government affairs at the Alzheimer’s Association testified before the House Labor Health and Human Services (HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee, outlining the unique triple threat that Alzheimer’s disease poses:

  • More than 5 million Americans and their 15 million unpaid caregivers are affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Already the most expensive disease in the country, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, the cost of Alzheimer’s to the nation will more than quadruple to $1.1 trillion over the next generation, threatening family savings and the future of Medicare.
  • Alzheimer’s is the only leading cause of death that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.

Earlier this year, the Alzheimer’s Association released Changing the Trajectory of Alzheimer's Disease: How a Treatment by 2025 Saves Lives and Dollars, which reported that the U.S. could save $220 billion within the first five years of a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease being introduced. The report shows that meeting the national Alzheimer’s plan 2025 goal would reduce the number of individuals affected by the disease by 2.5 million within the first five years of a treatment being available.

For more information on Alzheimer’s disease, visit alz.org.

Alzheimer’s Association®
The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s. For more information, visit alz.org.


 

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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