Alzheimer’s Association to host town hall with Rep. Vern Buchanan, Elder Affairs secretary

Equity in Alzheimer’s clinical trials will be the focus of a virtual town hall on April 25 hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association featuring guest speakers U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, and Florida Department of Elder Affairs Secretary Michelle Branham.

“I look forward to this event to discuss the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on Floridians and my efforts to increase access to new treatments for those suffering from this devastating disease,” Buchanan said.

Buchanan has been a critic of the recent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) decision to restrict Medicare coverage of Aduhelm – the first FDA-approved therapy to address the underlying biology of Alzheimer’s disease – to those enrolled in approved clinical trials. “We should be making it easier for these patients to access available treatments, not unreasonably restricting our nation’s seniors from a potentially life-changing treatment,” Buchanan said in a March 22 meeting of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health.

Another topic will be the Equity in Neuroscience and Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials (ENACT) Act, a bipartisan federal bill that seeks to increase minority participation in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, older Black adults are about twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or another dementia as their white counterparts, while older Hispanic adults are about 1½ times as likely. During the town hall, Alzheimer’s Association Access Policy Director Jennifer Pollack will emphasize the importance of the ENACT Act to increasing clinical trial participation among these groups.

“I’m proud to participate in this town hall with Rep. Vern Buchanan and Secretary Michelle Branham to discuss the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement’s federal policy priorities that will bring us one step closer to our vision of a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia,” Pollack said. “By advancing legislation, like the bipartisan Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer’s Act and the ENACT Act, we will improve the lives of those impacted by Alzheimer’s disease in Florida and throughout the nation.”

The Elder Affairs secretary will explain what the DeSantis administration has been doing at the local level to address this issue.

The free virtual town hall will begin at 1 p.m. For registration and additional information, visit bit.ly/AlzTownHall or contact the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900.

The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Visit alz.org.

Submitted by Samantha Logue

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Alzheimer’s Association planning virtual town hall on April 25