Governor Ron DeSantis Invests an Additional $12 million in Alzheimer’s Research

Jacksonville — Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis signs the Ramping up Education of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia for You (READY) Act, SB 806, awarding record-breaking funding for the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative Program.

The READY Act requires Florida’s Department of Health to use existing, relevant public health and community outreach programs and assessment tools to educate health care practitioners on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia-related disorders for the purpose of early detection of cognitive impairment.

The READY Act will also address continuing care through the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit for “cognitive health, usage of the Medicare care planning billing code and understanding of lifestyle interventions to reduce cognitive decline.”

“This bill encourages early diagnosis, a critical step to provide the best quality of life possible for someone impacted by the disease,” said Angela McAuley, regional leader for the Florida chapters of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Spearheaded by the Alzheimer’s Association, the bill encourages health care practitioners to discuss the components of Alzheimer’s and related dementia-disorders with patients over 60 years of age. Their studies indicate that 94% of primary care physicians say that it’s important to assess patients with a high risk for cognitive impairment, yet fewer than half do so in their standard protocol.

Dr. Rosemary Laird, a Tampa-based geriatrician and member of the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease and Advisory Committee, says that the bill represents the opportunity to encourage early diagnosis.

“For years it has been thought that memory loss is an inevitable fact of aging,” she said in a recent press release. “While there are changes to the brain as we age, those with Alzheimer’s face a uniquely challenging illness and deserve to be diagnosed as early as possible and supported fully.

Providers need to be ready to use evidence-based tools to evaluate, diagnose and advise patients. The READY Act is a vital support to existing networks of programs addressing this significant need.”

Christine Burger of Palm Beach County describes the READY Act as life saving for those impacted by Alzheimer’s.

“My family believed my dad was suffering from memory loss,” she said. “We were told it was a form of aging, until he unknowingly caused a serious car accident that almost killed our mom. Shortly after, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. This bill will increase the ability to assess and diagnose in the early stages. The READY Act is a blessing to the residents of Florida.”

The governor also announced establishing Florida Alzheimer’s Center for Excellence, also known as FACE, in order to enhance infrastructure available to support impacted seniors, families and their caregivers.

DeSantis noted that he was determined to ensure that every Floridian suffering from Alzheimer’s has the ability to access resources and supporting innovative technologies.

Florida has the second highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s in the country with over 580,000 living with the disease. That number is projected to increase to 720,000 by 2025.

Legislative sponsors include Senator Keith Perry (FL-8) and Representative Michelle Salzman (FL-1).