The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been selected to participate in a three-year project aimed at increasing Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia awareness and treatment. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than one in eight Iowans over the age of 65 were living with Alzheimer’s in 2019. At the rate Alzheimer’s diagnoses are increasing, as many as 73,000 Iowans will have the disease in 2050. The project is part of the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure Alzheimer’s Act passed by Congress in 2018. The IDPH will receive $200,000 per year for three years from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to build capacity to promote Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia risk reduction and prevention, early diagnosis, management of comorbidities, and caregiver support. Iowa is one of only 16 public health departments to be awarded this opportunity. “This project is the first of its kind for IDPH and others across the country to focus on Alzheimer’s Disease and dementias. IDPH will work with stakeholders to build capacity and promote risk reduction, early diagnosis, prevention, management of comorbidities, avoidance of hospitalizations, and to support caregiving for persons with dementia,” says Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Division Director, Dr. Nalo Johnson. Multiple agencies will be involved in the project, including the Iowa Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, the University of Iowa College of Public Health and the Iowa Primary Care Association.
