Dear Editor,

In a historic move in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 18, Congress passed the 2016 federal government appropriations bill that includes the largest funding increase ever for Alzheimer’s disease research, bringing the total at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to nearly $1 billion per year.

Thanks to bipartisan House and Senate negotiators, the bill includes an unprecedented $350 million increase for Alzheimer’s, bringing the total to $936 million. This marks more than a doubling since the Alzheimer’s Association worked with Congress to unanimously pass the National Alzheimer’s Project Act five years ago this month.

We need to give credit to our Congressional champions who ultimately made these developments happen. Thank you to Rep. Derek Kilmer, Sen. Maria Cantwell and Sen. Patty Murray for supporting Alzheimer’s funding and voting for this bill! The Alzheimer’s Association, advocates and supporters all deserve credit for making our political leaders aware of this important need.

World scientific leaders now recognize Alzheimer’s as a top priority for increased research that has the potential to rewrite the future. Once signed by the President, these funds will begin to be released immediately to launch new ground-breaking Alzheimer’s research.

Gail Bosch

Bremerton, Washington