[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 57 (Tuesday, April 2, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H2973]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ALZHEIMER'S IS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, Alzheimer's is a public health crisis. It is 
fitting that today, the second day of National Public Health Week, the 
Alzheimer's Association held their annual Day on the Hill. That is why 
I am wearing purple, to help raise awareness about Alzheimer's.
  Someone new develops Alzheimer's every 65 seconds in the United 
States. The cost of caring for those with Alzheimer's and other 
dementias is around $290 billion a year in the United States. That cost 
is only going to get higher.
  In New Jersey alone, there are 180,000 people over the age of 65 who 
suffer from Alzheimer's. Each year, nearly 3,000 of them die from 
Alzheimer's.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me to raise awareness on 
Alzheimer's. But raising awareness is not enough. We need to increase 
research funding, commit to a public health response to Alzheimer's, 
and support Alzheimer's planning and care services under Medicare.

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