USA | The Alzheimer's Association has funded 10 grants to local health departments to promote brain health and bolster dementia care.
The Alzheimer’s Association and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) have announced the fourth cohort of the Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI) Road Map Strategists. This nationwide effort focuses on addressing dementia at the local level. The Road Map Strategist program increases the capacity of local health departments to address brain health in their communities.
Through the program, 10 local health departments are selected each year through a competitive application process to receive direct funding, training and technical assistance. With these resources, they establish a part-time Road Map Strategist, a public health professional who serves as a systems change agent working to advance population health approaches related to dementia.
“Public health is instrumental in promoting brain health, increasing access to diagnostic services, and better supporting people living with dementia and their caregivers,” said John Shean, MPH, director of the Healthy Brain Initiative.
“We’re increasingly seeing local public health take up these issues and we’re excited to collaborate with these 10 new health departments as they lead the way to improving health in their communities.”
The local public health departments selected for 2025 represent a diverse cohort in terms of health department size and structure, geography and populations served. The Road Map Strategists will work in support and coordination with public health partners, including health systems. With guidance from the Alzheimer’s Association, NACCHO and peer support, Road Map Strategists will conduct a public health needs assessment, train local officials and key community partners, and lead implementation of public health action on dementia, informed by guidance from The Healthy Brain Initiative: State and Local Road Map for Public Health, 2023-2027.
The Road Map Strategists are funded by the HBI, a collaboration between the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Alzheimer’s Association. The HBI has been a catalyst for securing collection of state data on Alzheimer’s-related issues, developing public health road maps to guide public health departments in addressing Alzheimer’s, and developing the first public health curriculum on Alzheimer’s for public health students and professionals. The HBI Road Map Strategist program is an important step forward in the local response to Alzheimer's and brain health across the country.
The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organisation dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximising quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia.
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