U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) of Manhattan, Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies, received the Alzheimer’s Association Humanitarian Award at the Alzheimer’s Association National Dinner on Tuesday, April 8.
“I commit to you that during my time in the U.S. Senate, I will be a relentless advocate to see that Alzheimer’s becomes a preventable, treatable and curable disease,” said Sen. Moran said at the dinner. “The reality is, spending money to cure a disease like Alzheimer’s, and to find treatment, means we will save money in the long run, for the benefit of our kids and our families. It’s easy to make the commitment, because, if we can’t find the cure and treatment for this disease, it will consume our budget in a way we cannot sustain.”
The Alzheimer’s Association Humanitarian Award is given annually to public officials who have made significant policy contributions to advancements in research and enhanced care and support for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Sen. Moran led the charge to secure an increase of $100 million in the fiscal year 2014 budget for Alzheimer’s research – the largest increase in Alzheimer’s research funding to date. Under his leadership, the Subcommittee recently held a hearing to discuss the economic impact of Alzheimer’s disease in America and the current state of biomedical research into prevention and treatment of the disease.
The Alzheimer’s Association National Dinner, co-chaired by Evan Thompson, Chairman, and Bob Thomas, Treasurer, of the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement brought together more than 950 attendees from all 50 states. Gathered in Washington D.C. for the 26th annual Alzheimer’s Association Advocacy Forum, advocates learned how to share and appeal to their elected officials for meaningful action on Alzheimer’s. The National Dinner addressed this rapidly growing health crisis, bringing together influential and respected political, business, philanthropic, entertainment, media, social and advocacy leaders and now the broader Alzheimer’s advocacy community, to rally around and inspire others to join the growing movement to end the disease. A
ccording to Alzheimer’s Association 2014 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts & Figures, more than five million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease and that number is poised to grow to as many as 16 million by 2050. In addition to the human toll of the disease, care for Alzheimer’s, the country’s most expensive condition, will cost the nation $214 billion in 2014 with projections to reach $1.2 trillion by 2050. Nearly one in five dollars spent by Medicare is on someone with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
