Senator Collins Announces $450,000 for Maine CDC Alzheimer’s Programs
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) has received $450,000 for Alzheimer’s disease prevention and care programs through the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, a bipartisan bill authored by Senator Collins to create a public health infrastructure across the country to combat Alzheimer’s disease and preserve brain health.
“Millions of Americans and thousands throughout Maine are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and that number continues to rise as our overall population grows older and people live longer,” said Senator Collins. “This important funding will support the Maine CDC’s efforts in supporting those affected by Alzheimer's. As a founder and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease, I remain committed to advancing research, care, and support for individuals and families living with this devastating disease.”
"We are thrilled that the Maine CDC has been awarded with a competitive grant to carry out Maine's forthcoming Alzheimer's State Plan and the Healthy Brain Initiative Roadmap. As a partner on this project, the Alzheimer's Association Maine Chapter is looking forward to working with Maine CDC to help drive public awareness, early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, and access to care and support statewide," said Drew Wyman, executive director for the Alzheimer's Association Maine Chapter. "Furthermore, we thank Senator Collins for her leadership on the bipartisan BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act (P.L. 115-406), which enables states like Maine to access the resources necessary to improve their response to dementia. These funds are critical to ensuring a robust public health approach can be implemented at the state level."
The BOLD Act, which was signed into law in 2018, authorized the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to allocate up to $20 million per year for five years to local entities that provide dementia and Alzheimer’s disease care and support. In 2020, Maine was among the first 15 public health entities nationally to be awardedfederal funding to expand support services for people with dementia through the BOLD Act. This funding was renewed annually through FY2023 and assisted the State of Maine in building Maine’s Alzheimer’s Prevention Programand advancing Maine’s efforts as a designated Age Friendly State. Today’s announcement will provide implementation funding to build on these initial investments and allow Maine to carry out Alzheimer's disease and related dementias activities in line with their strategic plan and the CDC’s Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map.
In fiscal year 2023, Senator Collins secured $3.74 billion to support Alzheimer’s research. The FY23 government funding law also included $38.5 million – a $8 M million increase – for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Alzheimer’s disease activities, including increased investment in the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act.
More than six million Americans—and 29,000 Mainers—are living with Alzheimer’s. This disease costs the United States more than $345 billion per year, including $222 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid. Barring the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent or cure Alzheimer’s disease, Alzheimer’s is projected to claim the minds of nearly 13 million Americans and nearly surpass $1 trillion in annual costs by 2050.
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