Headlines President to sign Senator Collins' legislation to create national plan to combat Alzheimer's Disease
PRESIDENT TO SIGN SENATOR COLLINS’ LEGISLATION TO CREATE NATIONAL PLAN TO COMBAT ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Mainers praise Senator Collins’ efforts to improve research, care and treatment
Kathryn Pears of the Alzheimer’s Association of Maine praises Senator Collins’ efforts to pass the National Alzheimer’s Project Act.
The United States Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Susan Collins and Evan Bayh (D-IN) to better coordinate federal efforts to treat, prevent and ultimately develop a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
The bipartisan National Alzheimer’s Project Act will establish an Advisory Council within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a national plan for combating Alzheimer's disease.
“Today, an estimated 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, more than double the number in 1980,” said Senator Collins. “If nothing is done to change the current trajectory of the disease, 13.5 million Americans over the age of 65 will have Alzheimer’s disease by 2050. Moreover, if nothing is done to slow or stop the disease, Alzheimer’s will cost the United States $20 trillion over the next 40 years. Despite these alarming projections, to date there is no national strategy to defeat Alzheimer’s. The National Alzheimer’s Project Act will create a coordinated strategic national plan to focus our efforts and ensure that our resources are maximized and leveraged to find better treatments, a means of prevention, and ultimately a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.”
CLICK HERE TO READ: With Alzheimer's Patients Growing in Number, Congress Endorses a National Plan (New York Times) CLICK HERE TO READ: More about Senator Collins' legislation
As soon as the bill was passed, I put the news up in my Breaking News section, along with a link to click to petition the president to sign it. I seriously doubted that a petition was needed for him to sign it, as he has been supportive all along, but it's still up there if anyone wishes to put their name on it.
PRESIDENT SIGNS SENATOR COLLINS’ NATIONAL ALZHEIMER’S PROJECT BILL
New law will improve research, care and treatment
The President has signed bipartisan legislation, authored last year by Senators Susan Collins and Evan Bayh (D-IN), to better coordinate federal efforts to treat, prevent and ultimately develop a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
The bipartisan National Alzheimer’s Project Act, which is based on a key recommendation of the nonpartisan Alzheimer’s Study Group led by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, will launch a campaign within the federal government to overcome Alzheimer’s disease. It calls for the creation of a National Alzheimer’s Disease Plan within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to improve care and support services for Alzheimer’s patients and their families and accelerate research to develop treatments that would prevent, halt or reverse the course of Alzheimer’s. This plan will be updated annually with a report submitted to Congress assessing the nation’s progress in preparing for the growing burden of Alzheimer’s disease.
CLICK HERE TO READ: More about the Alzheimer's Project Act