New State Plan Outlines Strategies for Tackling Alzheimer’s Disease
On Wednesday, Sen. Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara), state officials and advocates released a new statewide plan that aims to address the growing challenges of Alzheimer's disease, the Sacramento Bee reports (Creamer, Sacramento Bee, 3/9).
A task force led by the Alzheimer's Association, the California Health and Human Services Agency and CHHS' Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Committee developed the 10-year plan (Lavelle, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3/9).
Alzheimer's in California
According to plan, Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in California. The report estimates that the number of state residents with Alzheimer's disease will double from about 588,000 today to about 1.2 million by 2030 (Herdt, Ventura County Star, 3/9).
The report also estimates that costs for medical and social support programs for people with Alzheimer's disease will increase from $16 billion today to $31.3 billion by 2030 (San Diego Union-Tribune, 3/9).
Plan Details
To address Alzheimer's disease in California, the new plan calls for the state to:
- Develop long-term services and support for people with Alzheimer's disease;
- Educate existing county and state programs about the condition;
- Leverage Medicare and Medi-Cal -- California's Medicaid program -- more effectively to support people with Alzheimer's disease;
- Promote and expand research on the disease; and
- Streamline public services for people with the condition (Sacramento Bee, 3/9).
For additional coverage of the state Alzheimer's disease plan, see Wednesday's Capitol Desk post.
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