Congress Passes National Alzheimer's Project Act

Congress on Wednesday (12/16/10) passed the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (N.A.P.A.), which would create the National Alzheimer’s Project for the coordination of government efforts in preventing and treating the disease, along with establishing a national strategy for defeating Alzheimer's. President Obama is expected to sign off on the law.The Alzheimer's Foundation of America called the law’s passage a “victory both for families struggling with this disease each day and for organizations striving to make a difference.”“The disease currently afflicts more than five million Americans, and that number is likely to double in the coming years,” said Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, in a release. “The passage of this Act will help to ensure we confront this challenge with an aggressive and coordinated national strategy. I look forward to implementing the legislation's provisions swiftly and effectively.”Over the last few years, the Alzheimer's Association has been the leading voice in urging Congress to pass the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA). The National Alzheimer's Project Act will create a coordinated national plan to overcome the Alzheimer's crisis and will ensure the coordination and evaluation of all national efforts in Alzheimer's research, clinical care, institutional, and home- and community-based programs and their outcomes. Alzheimer's advocates were instrumental in moving NAPA through Congress. The Alzheimer's Association's more than 50,000 e-mails, nearly 10,000 phone calls and more than 1,000 advocate meetings led us to the historic legislative victory for the Alzheimer's community.To read more about the chronology and the work that went into helping pass this law, visit the NAPA section of the Alzheimer's Association website here!