Alzheimer’s Association Honors Sens. Collins & Cortez Masto with the 2018 Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) Humanitarian Award
Click HERE and HERE for photos of Senator Collins at the award ceremony
Washington, D.C. – The Alzheimer’s Association and its advocacy arm, the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM), honored U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) for their significant policy contributions in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. The Senators were presented with the prestigious 2018 AIM Humanitarian of the Year Award at the National Alzheimer’s Dinner during the 30th Annual Alzheimer’s Association AIM Advocacy Forum.
“On behalf of the more than the 28,000 people in Maine and the more than 5 million across America living with Alzheimer’s, we are proud to give Senator Collins the 2018 Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) Humanitarian Award,” said Harry Johns, Alzheimer’s Association and AIM President and CEO. “Senator Collins has been an outstanding leader and a longtime champion for people affected by Alzheimer’s. Her leadership was invaluable in creating the first-ever national strategy to address Alzheimer’s and in securing care planning services through Medicare for people with cognitive impairments. Her introduction of the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act will help change the course of this public health crisis. We look forward to continuing to work with Senator Collins to change the trajectory of this disease.”
“The growing recognition of Alzheimer’s disease as a public health crisis has led to substantial changes in the way Congress is addressing America’s most expensive disease,” said Robert Egge, Chief Public Policy Officer of the Alzheimer’s Association and AIM Executive Director. “These changes are exemplified by the leadership of Senators Collins and Cortez Masto, whose unrelenting efforts are galvanizing work to harness our nationwide public health infrastructure to improve the quality of life for millions of Americans. The leadership of Senators Collins and Cortez Masto promise noteworthy policy contributions to enhance access to care and support for people affected by Alzheimer’s, and to advancements in research.”
“For far too long, Alzheimer’s disease hid in the shadows, imposing a devastating human and financial cost. One of my top priorities is to continue increasing biomedical research dollars to find a cure, while also focusing legislative efforts to build the infrastructure for care that our communities need to support persons living with dementia and their families. Working with the strong and effective advocates from the Alzheimer’s Association, we have been able to celebrate so many advancements in public policy,” said Senator Collins. “I am honored to receive the AIM Humanitarian award, along with my colleague Senator Cortez Masto. In the fight against Alzheimer’s, we cannot afford a single day off. With our unified efforts, I am optimistic that we can rewrite the story of Alzheimer’s for future generations.”
As the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s disease, Senator Collins has been a champion for all those affected by Alzheimer’s.
In 2011, Senator Collins authored the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), with then-Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN). NAPA convened a panel of experts, who determined that $2 billion per year in research funding is needed to achieve our goal of preventing and treating Alzheimer’s by the year 2025. Senator Collins helped to secure $1.8 billion—an increase of $414 million—for Alzheimer’s research in the fiscal year 2018 funding bill, which brings us within reach of the $2 billion goal.
Senators Collins and Cortez Masto recently introduced the bipartisan Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act to improve our nation’s Alzheimer’s public health infrastructure. Senator Collins was also instrumental in Medicare’s decision to cover comprehensive care planning through a medical visit for people with Alzheimer’s and other cognitive impairments. This announcement came after growing bipartisan support in Congress for the Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer’s Act, introduced by Senator Collins.
Alzheimer's and other dementias cost our nation an estimated $277 billion a year, including $186 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid.
The Alzheimer's Association is a leading non-profit organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research.
