USAgainstAlzheimer's applauds House passage of National Alzheimer's Project Act

USAgainstAlzheimer's today applauded the passage by the House of Representatives of the National Alzheimer's Project Act and released statements from its Chairman and Founder George Vradenburg, its Scientific Advisory Board Chair and Nobel Laureate Stanley Prusiner and its ally in the Alzheimer's Movement, First Lady of California Maria Shriver. The National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) requires HHS Secretary Sebelius to create and maintain an integrated national plan to overcome Alzheimer's. The legislation (S. 3036), which passed the Senate last week and is now on its way to the President, additionally includes other important provisions relating to Alzheimer's, including requiring improved coordination of Alzheimer's research and services across all Federal agencies and accelerating the development of treatments that would prevent, halt or reverse the course of the disease.

George Vradenburg, Chairman and Founder of USAgainstAlzheimer's, a national campaign and advocacy network committed to stopping Alzheimer's by 2020, issued the following statement:

"The National Alzheimer's Project Act represents the first Congressional recognition of the compelling national interest in stopping this disease, which threatens to kill between 15 and 20 million Americans in the coming years and to drive more than $2 trillion in additional national spending between now and 2020 to pay for the care of those with this disease. We applaud today's Congressional adoption of NAPA, which tracks recommendations of the Alzheimer's Study Group and requires the Secretary of HHS to develop and implement a national Alzheimer's plan. Upon signing this historic Act, we urge the President to direct HHS Secretary Sebelius to move forward with urgency in executing its provisions. What better way to enlist the ingenuity and innovative power of the American people than to set an ambitious plan for victory over Alzheimer's by 2020."

Stanley Prusiner, MD, Nobel Laureate, Director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (UCSF) and Chairman of the USAgainstAlzheimer's Scientific Advisory Board, said:

"The United States, like many other nations, has ignored the urgent human and fiscal needs required to address Alzheimer's disease. This devastating disorder already costs the world over $600 billion annually; it consumes over 1% of the global economy. Setting a national goal of stopping Alzheimer's by the end of this decade is critical — as longevity increases so does the number of Americans suffering from this disease. While we have the scientific talent to meet this great challenge, we need the political will required to mobilize our scientists. Alzheimer's is a cancer-size problem requiring a cancer-size response. As a nation, we have taken on grand challenges in the past and we need to confront Alzheimer's NOW. Every minute there is a new case of Alzheimer's in America — this disease won't wait and we can't delay our quest to develop effective preventions and treatments."

Maria Shriver, First Lady of California and Founder of "A Woman's Nation" and "The Shriver Report" said:

"The passage today of the National Alzheimer's Project Act is a momentous legislative victory for the millions of American families profoundly affected by this devastating disease and the millions more who will be in the future. Thanks to the bi-partisan actions of Congress, the United States is on its way to having a national plan so our country will be prepared to handle this national emergency and advance ourselves toward a cure. I am heartened that our country's lawmakers have made Alzheimer's a strategic priority and answered this critical call to action. Together, we are the hope to defeat this mind-blowing disease."

Source USAgainstAlzheimer's