[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 19051]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT ACT

  Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, I rise today to commend members of the 
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and Members 
of the Senate for their support of the National Alzheimer's Project 
Act, S. 3036. In particular, the committee was helpful in strengthening 
the National Alzheimer's Plan and the annual reporting requirements to 
Congress that include the articulation of goals, benchmarks, 
priorities, recommendations, and tracking outcomes.
  This legislation is focused on changing the devastating trajectory of 
Alzheimer's disease for our families and our economy. Alzheimer's 
disease is a debilitating illness that affects more than 5 million 
Americans and their families every day. The growing number of Americans 
expected to be affected by this disease, which is estimated to reach up 
to 16 million people by 2050, will continue to place an enormous burden 
on families and loved ones, not to mention the serious fiscal 
consequences to consider if we do not act now to address this disease. 
If nothing is done, studies report that Alzheimer's disease will cost 
the United States $20 trillion over the next 40 years.
  With no current plan to address Alzheimer's, this important piece of 
legislation would lay the foundation to coordinate all Federal 
Alzheimer's programs and initiatives, including research, clinical 
care, institutional cared home- and community-based programs. The bill 
also ensures that a national Alzheimer's plan will be implemented by 
the agencies and Congress.
  This bill will leverage existing leadership to offer real solutions 
to the Alzheimer's crisis. The National Alzheimer's plan called for in 
this bill will, for the first time, articulate what outcomes the 
Federal Government is seeking to reduce the impact of this crisis. It 
would allow Congress to assess whether the Nation is meeting the 
challenges of the disease for families, communities, and the economy. 
It would give all stakeholders an answer the fundamental question, 
``Was this a good or a bad year in the fight against Alzheimer's?''
  The National Alzheimer's Plan will include appropriate performance 
measures and benchmarks to allow legislators to evaluate progress in 
the fight against Alzheimer's. The assessment and priority 
recommendations will likely address issues such as the underinvestment 
in Alzheimer's research. By addressing Alzheimer's disease and dementia 
directly, the National Alzheimer's Plan will also call attention to the 
many steps that can be taken to improve recognition, diagnosis and care 
for people with these conditions, reduce symptom severity, support 
family caregivers, and encourage ``healthy brain'' behaviors that may 
reduce risk for these conditions.
  With the leadership of the Federal Government and input from all 
stakeholders, including Alzheimer's patient advocates, health cafe 
prodders, State health departments, voluntary health associations, and 
researchers, this bill would allow an opportunity for all worthy 
entities addressing Alzheimer's, including organizations at the State 
and at the national level, to come together on advisory council to make 
recommendations and implement a national strategic plan to overcome 
this dreadful disease. The advisory council will also ensure buy-in, 
leadership, and coordination of all related Federal agencies conducting 
Alzheimer-related care, services, and research.
  One of the principal objectives of the advisory council is to 
represent a broad range of expert stakeholders within the Alzheimer's 
community to provide input and recommendations to the Federal 
Government on a national strategic direction for combating Alzheimer's 
disease. When crafting this legislation, the sponsors were careful to 
include patient advocates, caregivers, and providers who serve at the 
front lines of Alzheimer's care and who understand on a personal level 
the toll of this disease on patients and their families. Additionally, 
sponsors of S. 3036 included representatives of State health 
departments and Alzheimer's researchers who have expertise regarding 
the impact of this disease on public health as well as the state of the 
science in discovering prevention methods, treatments, and cures. 
Lastly, sponsors sought to include national voluntary health 
associations on the council, who provide invaluable research, care, 
support services, and advocacy tools for patients, caregivers, and 
local organizations throughout the country. It is our intent that two 
national organizations have representation on the council.
  The threat that Alzheimer's disease poses to the health and wellbeing 
of our Nation demands an aggressive and well-coordinated response. This 
bill creates the first-ever national plan to combat Alzheimer's and 
ensures that every dollar spent on the disease will be used to get the 
best possible care for patients. At a time when medical research funds 
are too scarce and we are struggling to provide quality health care for 
all Americans, for the first time we will be able to assess all Federal 
efforts related to Alzheimer's disease, ensure existing resources are 
maximized, enhance the delivery of quality care, and support the kind 
of research that will one day result in a cure for this devastating 
disease.

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