Washington, D.C., Feb. 8, 2024 — The Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) are proud to support today’s Senate introduction of the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Reauthorization Act. This bipartisan legislation will strengthen the dementia public health infrastructure in communities throughout the nation by reauthorizing the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act (P.L.115-406).
“Since Congress passed the BOLD Act, public health departments across the country have been making a real-world impact by successfully implementing effective Alzheimer’s interventions, such as increasing early detection and diagnosis and reducing risk,” said Robert Egge, AIM president and Alzheimer’s Association chief public policy officer. “Thank you to the bipartisan congressional champions for your leadership in introducing the bipartisan BOLD Reauthorization Act to continue this critical work and for your steadfast commitment to the Alzheimer’s and dementia community.”
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) have introduced the BOLD Reauthorization Act. This bipartisan legislation will reauthorize the BOLD Act and empower public health departments to continue improving brain health and supporting caregivers in their communities. A companion bill was introduced in the House of Representatives yesterday.
Since its passage in 2018, the original BOLD Act has been creating and growing a public health infrastructure for dementia in communities throughout the nation. Because of BOLD, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is able to provide funding to state, local and tribal public health departments. These departments utilize the funding to implement effective dementia interventions such as reducing risk, increasing early detection and diagnosis, supporting the needs of caregivers and advancing health equity.
“In communities throughout the country, public health professionals are making a real-world impact through their work to improve brain health across the life course,” Egge said. “The Alzheimer’s Association and AIM look forward to working with Congress to build on this progress by reauthorizing this critical legislation.”
Since its enactment, the CDC has made 66 awards to 45 state, local and tribal health departments. In 2023, the CDC announced 43 BOLD award recipients, the most in a single year since BOLD was signed into law. These award recipients are implementing public health strategies that promote brain health, address dementia, and support individuals living with dementia and their caregivers.
Each year, the Alzheimer’s Association and AIM work with Congress to secure critical funding that not only funds the BOLD program awards, but also the BOLD Public Health Centers of Excellence and the Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI). The HBI is a longstanding collaboration to advance understanding of and support for cognitive decline as a central part of public health practice. The Healthy Brain Initiative: State and Local Road Map for Public Health, 2023-2027 provides a framework for BOLD award recipients to lead with urgency and act for impact in their communities to improve brain health across the life course and support caregivers.
