Charleston Leader

U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) recently introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at enhancing training for primary care providers to improve the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The Accelerating Access to Dementia & Alzheimer’s Provider Training (AADAPT) Act seeks to provide education and training to more primary care providers, thereby improving detection, diagnosis, and treatment of these conditions.

“With the introduction of new drug therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia over the past few years, the need for access to early and accurate diagnosis of the disease is more important than ever,” said Senator Capito. “I’m pleased to help introduce the AADAPT Act, which will extend and expand the existing successful Project ECHO program to train health care professionals to make these vital diagnoses. This is especially important for rural states like West Virginia where access to specialized care is often limited.”

Senator Klobuchar emphasized the benefits of early detection: “Detecting Alzheimer’s and other dementia early can reduce stress for patients and families, reduce unnecessary health costs, and improve access to care. Primary care providers have been calling for more training resources to improve early detection, accurate diagnosis, and care. This bipartisan legislation will deliver those tools and improve patients' quality of life and health outcomes.”

Robert Egge, Alzheimer’s Association chief public policy officer and president of the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM), expressed gratitude for the initiative: “We are grateful for the bipartisan leadership of Sens. Klobuchar and Capito introducing the AADAPT Act in the Senate. This bipartisan bill focused on accelerating dementia workforce preparedness will increase access to early diagnosis and quality dementia care in communities across the nation while reducing geographic barriers and the cost of care. On behalf of the Alzheimer’s community, thank you.”

Senator Capito has been a vocal advocate for Alzheimer's resources, focusing on funding research efforts as Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS). She has also introduced legislation aimed at improving care for Alzheimer's patients, enhancing early detection technology, and reauthorizing critical programs combatting the disease nationwide.

A fact sheet on the AADAPT Act is available here.

Full text of the AADAPT Act is available here.

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