In September, volunteer advocates and staff from Alzheimer’s Los Angeles attended the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s National Alzheimer’s Summit in Washington, DC. This three-day event began with a special symposium on how researchers, healthcare systems and community-based providers can more effectively serve and engage diverse and historically underserved communities. Petra Niles,  Alzheimer’s LA manager of African American services, presented on a panel, “Building Community Capacity: Scaling Models for Community Navigation in Alzheimer’s Care and Research,” where she discussed the accomplishments of our West Central/South Central Dementia Care Network and opportunities to engage diverse communities.

The National Alzheimer’s Summit officially opened the next day with panel discussions focused on brain health, the need for innovation in research and care, and additional discussion on addressing the impact of Alzheimer’s on diverse communities. Alzheimer’s LA Executive Vice President Debra Cherry, PhD shared our award-winning Dementia Cal MediConnect Project, which is improving healthcare for older, low-income adults with dementia and their family caregivers.

The conference ended with a day on Capitol Hill where advocates met with Representatives Judy Chu (CA-27), Brad Sherman (CA-30), and Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) as well as staff from 19 other congressional offices representing the Alzheimer’s LA service area and California’s two senate offices. The purpose of our meetings was to request support for the CHANGE Act (H.R. 4957/S. 2387), which will increase participation in Alzheimer’s research and provide additional programs and support for those living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers.

We also urged our House Representatives to vote in favor of the Defense-Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education conference report, which included $425 million in additional funding for Alzheimer’s research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  In fact, we are happy to report that Congress approved the budget later that same day, followed by the President’s signature at the end of last week.  These additional funds bring the total budget dedicated to Alzheimer’s research to $2.3 billion—the amount scientists say we need to find a cure.

Couldn’t make it to DC? Join us in asking Congress to support the CHANGE Act by sending a message to your Representative today.