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Donate NowAlzheimer's Association Launches National Initiative to Bring Advances in Brain Health and Dementia Care into Everyday Clinical Care
— Initiative will help health care systems strengthen brain health promotion, early detection, diagnosis and dementia care, beginning in primary care —
CHICAGO, Oct. 6, 2026 — The Alzheimer's Association today announced the launch of the Brain Health & Quality Care Initiative (BHQCI), a new national quality-care initiative designed to help clinicians and health systems integrate brain health and high-quality dementia care into everyday clinical practice.Rapid scientific advances, including blood-based diagnostic testing and disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease, are creating new opportunities for earlier detection, diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, significant gaps in care remain. Cognitive assessment is not consistently incorporated into routine care, referral pathways can be fragmented, and many individuals and families experience delays before receiving a diagnosis and care plan. Closing these gaps requires health care organizations to put evidence-based approaches into practice and build them into everyday care delivery.
“We are at a pivotal moment in brain health and dementia care,” said Katie Evans, chief programs and mission engagement officer, Alzheimer’s Association. “We have more opportunities than ever to identify and intervene earlier, but scientific progress can only change lives if people can benefit from it in real-world care. The initiative is designed to help close that gap and ensure patients and families receive the right care at the right time.”
The initiative will create a national framework to help health care organizations implement evidence-based approaches to brain health and dementia care across clinical settings. Its first implementation focus is primary care, where many people first seek help for cognitive concerns. BHQCI will provide evidence-based guidance, implementation resources, professional education, peer-to-peer learning opportunities focused on areas including risk reduction, cognitive assessment and diagnosis, referrals, and connections to care and support services.
“Primary care clinicians are increasingly being asked to support brain health and risk reduction, as well as address concerns about memory and thinking, but they need practical tools and clear pathways to help them identify cognitive impairment and connect patients to appropriate diagnosis, treatment, care and support,” said Sheena Aurora, M.D., vice president, Medical Affairs, Alzheimer's Association. “This initiative puts what we know works into practice, helping make high-quality brain health and dementia care more consistent in everyday clinical practice.”
The initiative will also establish a national recognition program for organizations that demonstrate successful implementation of evidence-based approaches to brain health and dementia care.
Following its initial work in primary care, the Association plans to expand BHQCI across additional health care settings, helping build a more connected approach to brain health and dementia care across the patient journey.
“Improving dementia care isn't about changing just one point in the patient journey,” Evans said. “It's about building a health care system that can support people from brain health and risk reduction through detection, diagnosis, treatment, care and support.”
As part of the launch, the Alzheimer's Association also announced Eisai and Eli Lilly and Company as the initiative's first founding partners, helping support the development and implementation of the initiative.
“Scientific advances in Alzheimer’s disease are creating new possibilities for patients and families, along with a growing need to support health care systems that want to deliver on that progress before the critical window for intervention is missed,” said Tatsuyuki Yasuno, Chairman & CEO, Eisai Inc. “Guided by our human health care mission, Eisai is pleased to support the Brain Health & Quality Care Initiative and its efforts to turn scientific progress in brain health and dementia care into clinically meaningful outcomes for patients and the health care community.”
“Lilly's 35-year commitment to Neuroscience has taught us that what stands between people and better outcomes isn't only science. It's whether they get answers in time,” said Jennifer Oleksiw, Group Vice President, U.S. Neuroscience and Global Commercial Innovation Officer, Eli Lilly and Company. “Advances in blood diagnostics and treatment now make earlier intervention possible for people experiencing symptoms, yet too many families still wait too long. We're pleased to support the Brain Health & Quality Care Initiative to help translate advances in brain health and dementia care into clinical practice so that connecting people to care becomes the routine, not the exception.”
Additional organizations are expected to join the initiative as it continues to grow.
BHQCI is an initiative of the Alzheimer's Association Brain Health Advancement Institute, focused on translating scientific advances and evidence-based practices into improvements in health care delivery. The initiative will be featured at the Alzheimer's Association Health Care Summit on Oct. 6, where leaders from across the health care ecosystem will discuss how the health care system can prepare for continued advances in Alzheimer's detection, diagnosis, treatment and care.
To learn more, visit alz.org/BHQCI.
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.