Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement on the unanimous passage of the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, bipartisan legislation that she introduced with Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) to create a public health infrastructure to combat Alzheimer’s disease and preserve brain health.
“The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s will fund and promote effective Alzheimer’s interventions, improve early detection, and avoid preventable hospitalizations by establishing Centers of Excellence to educate the public and health departments on the illness,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia affect more than 5 million Americans, and that number is expected to triple by 2050. It is increasingly important that we address this public health crisis by establishing a modern infrastructure for the prevention, treatment, and care of Alzheimer’s. I’m proud to support this bipartisan effort to improve the quality of life for those suffering the effects of Alzheimer’s and related cognitive disorders. We have lost too many loved ones to this relentless illness, and I will continue to be a fierce champion of ending Alzheimer’s before it claims more lives.”
“Alzheimer’s disease is one of the greatest and under-recognized public health threats of our time. Five and a half million Americans are living with the disease, and that number is soaring as our overall population grows older and lives longer,” Senator Collins said. “After decades of increasing investments in biomedical research for Alzheimer’s, we are ready for the next step: to translate research into practice. The BOLD Act takes a multi-pronged public health approach that would create a modern infrastructure for the prevention, treatment, and care of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.”
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“The Senate took decisive and bipartisan action today in the fight against Alzheimer’s” said Alzheimer’s Association Chief Public Policy Officer, Robert Egge. “When signed into law, the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act will build and strengthen our nation’s Alzheimer’s public health response. We are thankful to Senator Cortez Masto for her work to improve our nationwide public health infrastructure to improve the quality of life for millions of Americans.”
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