Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Washington (June 15, 2023) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s, and an author of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act, released the following statement today after the HELP Committee voted to reauthorize these two bills, a significant step forward in the federal government’s efforts to prevent, treat, and cure Alzheimer’s disease:
“Since my mother suffered and passed away from Alzheimer’s disease years ago, I have tirelessly fought for the federal government to dedicate the funding and the resources necessary so that no other family in our nation has to bear the burden of this disease. We have made phenomenal progress since the passage of NAPA in 2011 created a national plan to battle Alzheimer’s, and we know so much more today than we did when my mother was sick. Sophisticated scans have revealed how changes in the brain are associated with the progression of dementia. We better understand genetic risk factors, and we are discovering the increased risks of developing the disease as a result of air pollution and environmental injustice. We are also improving our health care system and doing more to support the caregivers who are the backbone of treatment.
“But the work is far from done, and today I join with my partners in this fight to celebrate another major step toward finding a cure, the advancement of the NAPA Reauthorization Act and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act out of the HELP Committee. Our victory today sends a message to the American people that Congress will continue the fight until Alzheimer’s is a disease only found in the history books. I thank my colleagues on the Committee, Senator Collins, and Senator Warner for their partnership in this effort.”
Senator Markey is joined by Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), co-chairs of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s, in advancing this legislation through Committee and onto the floor of the Senate. Senator Markey is a leader in the fight to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. As a member of the House of Representatives, Senator Markey founded the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s to develop a whole-of-government approach to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s. He created the Independence at Home program to provide seniors, including individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementia, the option to receive primary care in their home. Senator Markey authored the bipartisan Spending Reductions Through Innovations in Therapies (SPRINT) Act, which would encourage drug development for high-cost, chronic health conditions such as Alzheimer’s, the Health Outcomes, Planning and Education (HOPE) Act to improve early detection and diagnoses of Alzheimer’s and support caregivers, and the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act, which would require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) work to improve treatment outcomes and engage federal agencies in the effort to combat Alzheimer’s.
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