Reed-Backed BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Reauthorization Act Clears Congress, Heads to President’s Desk

WASHINGTON, DC - There are currently 25,000 Rhode Islanders living with Alzheimer's disease, according to Brown University Health, and over 6 million Americans nationwide.

To help states effectively implement dementia interventions such as increasing early detection and diagnosis, reduce risk, and better support caregivers, the U.S. Senate today passed the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act (S.3775). This bipartisan bill, spearheaded by U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and cosponsored by U.S. Senator Jack Reed, reauthorizes the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act (P.L.115-406) and empowers public health departments across the country to implement effective dementia interventions in their communities.

The measure passed the U.S. House of Representatives in September, and now heads to President Biden's desk to be signed into law.

"Getting this bill across the finish line is a win for the 25,000 Rhode Islanders living with Alzheimer's, their adult children who work tirelessly as unpaid family caregivers, and for the health and economic needs of the next generation too. We must continue the progress we've made against Alzheimer's. We've got to find better treatments for Alzheimer's and related dementias. The federal government must do its part to reduce risk, detect early symptoms, and advance care while lifting the burden on unpaid caregivers," said Senator Reed, who is also a cosponsor of the Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Act.

One in three older Americans dies with dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

Since the original BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act passed in 2018, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) has been awarded $3.4 million in BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act grants from the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). RIDOH has used the federal BOLD grant funds to help to implement effective Alzheimer's interventions, including boosting early detection and diagnosis, reducing risk, and preventing avoidable hospitalizations.

Earlier this year, Senator Reed helped pass the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) Reauthorization Act and the Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act (AAIA), which President Joe Biden signed into law.

Alzheimer's costs the United States $360 billion per year, including $231 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid, according to the Alzheimer's Association, up $15 billion over the previous year

As a member of the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Senator Reed helped provide a $275 million increase for Alzheimer's disease research in the fiscal year 2025 Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and related Agencies Appropriations bill. In 2019, NIH awarded Brown University researchers, along with Boston-based Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL), over $53 million in federal research funds to lead a nationwide effort to improve health care and quality of life for people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, as well as their caregivers.

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