After losing my father to Alzheimer’s
disease more than two years ago, I vowed to do everything in my power to help
other families facing this growing public health crisis. As a volunteer
advocate with the Alzheimer’s Association, it is my mission to raise public
awareness and urge my legislators to make ending Alzheimer’s disease a
priority. While it is no small feat, I am eternally grateful that
Assemblymember Monique Limón and Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara
have answered the call in the State Legislature.
Alzheimer’s disease has reached epidemic
proportions and is on the rise. The number of Alzheimer’s deaths in California
has increased by 268 percent between 2000 and 2017, making it the fourth
leading cause of death in the state. In the absence of an effective treatment
or cure, just 45 percent of people affected nationally have been formally
diagnosed by a clinician, leaving too many families and caregivers without
adequate answers, planning, and support.
AB 388, introduced by Assemblymember
Limón and co-authored by Senator Jackson, would initiate local efforts to build
a statewide public health infrastructure to address Alzheimer’s disease through
the implementation of the CDC Public Health Roadmap (known as the Healthy Brain
Initiative). Alongside a $10 million onetime budget investment, the bill would
launch a statewide public awareness campaign to reduce stigma associated with
Alzheimer’s, and it would fund eight county pilot projects to improve early
detection and diagnosis. It is a modest investment of millions that would save
billions as California’s Alzheimer’s-related Medi-Cal costs are projected to
jump 32 percent by 2025 to nearly $5 billion annually.