USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

A November 2015 Science Magazine article reported on shifting funding priorities at NIH, including growing support for funding neurodegenerative disease research. According to the article, “Some in the biomedical research community, however, welcome these developments. ‘I’m glad the questioning is happening no matter how annoying it may be to some people,” says Claiborne Johnston, a stroke researcher at the University of Texas, Austin, who has studied disease funding trends. “I hope ultimately that we figure out a way to truly address, through our research and our care, some of these conditions that definitely are neglected.’…In Congress, some lawmakers are taking direct aim at the earmark. This past summer, during a Senate spending panel debate on NIH's 2016 appropriation, Cassidy proposed taking $235 million out of NIAID's AIDS budget and giving it to other institutes studying neurodegenerative diseases. The proposal dovetailed with a major push by patient groups to increase NIH funding for Alzheimer's disease, which has helped produce a 30% funding leap for Alzheimer's over the past 4 years. But Robert Egge, chief public policy officer for the Alzheimer's Association, and George Vradenburg, chair of the influential group UsAgainstAlzheimer's, say their organizations did not ask Cassidy to offer his Alzheimer's proposal.” Article is behind paywall - a PDF can be accessed here. 

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A November 19, 2015 Inside Philanthropy article highlighted a growing philanthropic focus on Alzheimer’s. According to the article, “The human and healthcare costs related to dementia are staggering, and they're set to soar, even as all developed nations grapple with high levels of public debt and a range of other costs associated with aging populations. Meanwhile, other disorders of the brain, including autism and mental illness, also are inflicting a growing human and financial toll on society…As we've reported, several health-focused givers—including Paul Allen, Ted Stanley, and the Simons Foundation—have lately contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to brain research. A range of other philanthropists with more modest resources have also arrived in this space, some motivated by the heart-wrenching experience of watching loved ones cope with dementia or other brain disorders.”

A November 19, 2015 MedScape.com article reported that the “National Institutes of Health (NIH) has committed up to $72 million in preliminary funding opportunities for the Precision Medicine Initiative in fiscal 2016.” According to the article, “The money will go to projects designed to build the framework for the initiative's planned large-scale national research cohort. The NIH has committed another $15.8 million in funding for the Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative. The availability of those funds hinges on Congress passing a federal budget before temporary funding expires on December 11. Both initiatives will be suspended if a budget agreement is not reached, NIH Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, cautioned a Congressional subcommittee in October.”

A November 19, 2015 Sacramento Bee opinion piece by Laphonza Butler called for greater support of home care provides as diseases like Alzheimer’s grow. According to the Butler, “With 44.7 million Americans older than 65 and 10,000 baby boomers hitting that milestone every day, the number of people requiring care only continues to grow. Yet because long-term care workers are paid an average of $17,000 a year, there aren’t enough caregivers in any state…Most days, we are inundated with news about the impending crisis of how to care for baby boomers as they age. Many will have Alzheimer’s disease and many haven’t adequately saved for retirement. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged, but the home care gap is fixable. If we raise wages, not only will workers be able to continue to stay in this important field, but more will be willing to join this difficult but rewarding workforce. By paying our care workers a livable wage, they will no longer need to worry about putting food on the table or paying their rent. Instead, they can commit to caring for our old and vulnerable.” Laphonza Butler is provisional president of SEIU Local 2015, which represents California’s long-term care workers.