[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 58 (Wednesday, April 9, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S2324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 USF HEALTH BYRD ALZHEIMER'S INSTITUTE

 Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, we need to find a cure for the 
devastating disease of Alzheimer's. According to the Alzheimer's 
Association, there are 5 million people living with Alzheimer's in 
America today. Last year alone, $213 billion was spent on Alzheimer's 
care in the United States. And if measures are not taken to address the 
issue, it is estimated this will rise to $1 trillion a year by 
midcentury.
  As the senior Senator from Florida and the chairman of the Special 
Committee on Aging, I am well aware of the toll this disease takes on 
individuals and their families. In 2010, about 450,000 Floridians were 
living with this disease, but this number is expected to rise to 
590,000 by the year 2025.
  Florida is the home of groundbreaking research in the field of 
treating, and hopefully curing, Alzheimer's. Today I will focus on just 
one of Florida's many research institutes, the University of South 
Florida, USF, Health Byrd Alzheimer's Institute. A leader in the field, 
the Byrd Institute is already implementing and routinely practicing key 
tenets outlined in the milestones of the Federal Government's 2013 
National Alzheimer's Plan, including prevention, memory impairment 
screening, state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment, supportive 
services, and education.
  As a university-affiliated free-standing Alzheimer's center, the Byrd 
Institute is one of very few places that can offer high-quality, 
integrated Alzheimer's care. In fact, USF Magazine boasts that it is 
``the largest facility of its kind in the world.'' The Byrd Institute's 
streamlined approach emphasizes integrated Alzheimer's care among 
physicians, researchers, therapists, social workers, support groups, 
caregivers, and other entities that play a crucial role in the 
comprehensive well-being of Alzheimer's patients. As an active 
Alzheimer's research site, patients have access to many publicly and 
privately funded clinical trials. Research productivity at the Byrd 
Institute has been brisk with $2.7 million in Federal grant 
expenditures for basic and translational research from 17 new and 
continuing Federal grants in 2012 and 2013. The Alzheimer's 
Association, along with several other non-Federal sponsors, provided 
nearly $1 million in funding to the center.
  The institute's strong track record as a regional trailblazer in 
Alzheimer's care demonstrates the vast potential for the expansion of 
similar types of care centers on a national level. Moving forward, the 
Byrd Institute offers hope for accelerated and improved Alzheimer's 
care. It is a living and breathing testament to what can be 
accomplished by working together to tackle a problem that affects us 
all and a true model for the future of Alzheimer's care in this Nation.
  I know that many Floridians--as well as advocates from all across the 
Nation--are visiting with their congressional representatives to urge 
greater funding for research funding at the National Institutes of 
Health and caregiver support from the Administration for Community 
Living. I want all Floridians visiting, as well as all of those who 
couldn't be here today, to know that I share their commitment for 
finding a cure for this dreaded disease.

                          ____________________