After unanimous passage the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act in the U.S. Senate, the legislation now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration. 

The bipartisan bill would, for the first time, create a public health infrastructure across the country to combat Alzheimer’s disease and preserve brain health. 

“To prevent millions of more Americans and their families from being devastated by Alzheimer’s, we have to tackle this disease on all fronts," said co-author of the legislation U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. "The BOLD Act helps us do that by empowering our federal and state public health infrastructure to play an expanded role and by helping us gain a better understanding of the true scope of the disease." 

The legislation was also co-authored by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine; Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.; and Tim Kaine, D-Va. 

Alzheimer’s Association Chief Public Policy Officer Robert Egge said, “The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act is innovative legislation that will allow our nation to address Alzheimer’s as the urgent public health crisis that it is." 

The release said more than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, and the U.S. spends more than $277 billion per year, including $186 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid. Without further action, the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s is expected to triple to as many as 14 million by 2050, costing the nation more than $1.1 trillion per year. 

This legislation would apply a public health approach to reduce risk, detect early symptoms, advance care, improve data, and ultimately change the trajectory of this devastating disease. Headed by the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), it would authorize $20 million annually over the next five years to establish: 

• Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Public Health Centers of Excellence dedicated to promoting effective Alzheimer’s disease and caregiving interventions as well as educating the public on Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive decline, and brain health. The centers would implement the CDC’s Healthy Aging Public Health Road Map, and would take key steps to support health and social services professionals as well as families and communities.

• Cooperative Agreements with the CDC that would be awarded to State Health Departments to help them meet local needs in promoting brain health, reducing risk of cognitive decline, improving care for those with Alzheimer’s, and other key public health activities.

• Data Grants to improve the analysis and timely reporting of data on Alzheimer’s, cognitive decline, caregiving, and health disparities at the state and national levels.