Grant money helps those with Alzheimer’s
Gov. Tony Evers and First Lady Kathy Evers, have announced that the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), is one of 15 public health programs across the country, to be awarded the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Disease Grant from the CDC. The DHS will use the grant funding to fulfi ll the aim of the BOLD act to develop and enhance public health strategies for risk prevention, timely diagnosis, disease management and caregiver support.
“Kathy and I are proud that DHS has been awarded this grant to build on the work that’s already being done across our state, to care for the approximately 120,000 Wisconsinites living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias,” said T. Evers, “and look forward to the development of new and innovative approaches to address dementia in the future, and provide support to the people caring for a loved one with this disease.”
The DHS will partner with organizations that represent numerous arms of public health, to make enhancements to existing systems, and create new infrastructure to support people living with dementia and their family caregivers. Strategies outlined in the grant project are intended to provide individuals with methods to lower their risk of developing dementia, improve access to timely and appropriate diagnosis, enhance management of coexisting medical conditions and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations.
“We are honored to partner with the DHS in creating a strong public health approach in Wisconsin, to address Alzheimer’s disease, the sixth leading cause of death in the state,” said Dave Grams, executive director, Alzheimer’s Association Wisconsin Chapter.
Additional grant partners include the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging, the Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education at the University of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
The three-year grant began Sept. 30, and the DHS will receive approximately $300,000 per year.
