New bill aims to combat Alzheimer's disease

A new bill recently passed unanimously by congress is headed for President Obama's desk, and it's expected to be signed by him in the near future. The legislation aims to create a nationwide plan to combat Alzheimer's, according to The New York Times.


The new program would effectively put Alzheimer's research on the same level of importance as research relating to AIDS and cancer treatments. The program, known as the National Alzheimer's Project, would be housed within the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services."


"If you go to war, you have planning planning planning," Republican Representative Christopher H. Smith of New Jersey, a co-sponsor of the bill, told the news source. "Well, this is a war on a dreaded disease. We need to bring all the disparate elements together for the greatest possible result."


If passed, the project would create an advisory council consisting of health experts from institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, the news source reports.


According to the Alzheimer's Association, approximately 5.3 million people in the U.S. suffer from the disease. Many seniors afflicted with Alzheimer's may choose to live in assisted living facilities during their retirement years.

 


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