Support Alzheimer's plan

Recently, the Alzheimer’s Association launched a nationwide petition urging President Obama to fulfill the promise of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), which he signed into law in January 2011. NAPA creates a National Alzheimer’s Plan. I ask readers to add their names to this important petition by visiting www.alz.org/nj. Our goal is to have 250,000 signatures by April 2012, and we are already more than halfway there. Alzheimer’s is unmatched in the scale of its devastating human and economic impact, combined with the fact that, today, absolutely nothing is available to stop, slow or prevent it. No other major chronic disease or leading cause of death fits this description. More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and are cared for by almost 15 million unpaid caregivers. In the state of New Jersey alone, an estimated 150,000 individuals have Alzheimer’s. The impact of Alzheimer’s disease will cause our healthcare system to collapse as more than 60 million Americans will be directly affected by mid-century. Alzheimer’s can’t wait. The time to act is now. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently released the first draft of the NAPA Plan. As it continues to be revised, we urge the administration to specify the level of resource commitment that will be needed to meet the goal to prevent and effectively treat the Alzheimer’s disease by 2025. Though the administration recently designated $50 million to the existing federal Alzheimer’s research budget for the current fiscal year, and proposed an additional $80 million for research, plus another $26 million for Alzheimer’s education, outreach and support in fiscal year 2013, much more funding is needed to address this national crisis. The Alzheimer's Association values the draft Plan's attention to evaluation and assessment, and looks forward to a final Plan that accelerates government efforts, indicates future commitments that will be needed and expands public-private partnerships to change the trajectory of one of the nation's most feared diseases. Alzheimer’s disease slowly steals one’s memories, independence, autonomy, and so much more. On behalf of the millions of individuals and their care partners who are struggling with this disease, I again urge your readers to sign the petition. Now is the time to create a world without Alzheimer’s disease. Fred A. Kobylarz, MD, MPH Chair, Programs and Advocacy Committee Board of Directors Alzheimer’s Association, Greater New Jersey Chapter