There is a public health crisis on our doorstep. Now is the time to get serious about Alzheimer’s disease and its devastating effects on our loved ones.

Ignoring the public health consequences of the disease will not solve this grave problem. As my husband’s personality, physicality, passions and dreams faded away, my heart ached. Sadly, he passed away in January from this untreatable disease.

Every 66 seconds, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with the disease. The emotional and financial burden on families and the massive drain borne by Medicare and Medicaid is overwhelming. Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease in the U.S. — the nation spends $259 billion a year.

Congress has a chance to pass the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act (S. 2076/H.R. 4256), endorsed by the Alzheimer’s Association.

The new bill would create an Alzheimer’s public health infrastructure across the country to implement effective interventions such as early detection and diagnosis, reducing risk and preventing avoidable hospitalizations.

Join me in asking Rep. Derek Kilmer and Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray to fight for the five million Americans living with Alzheimer’s by co-sponsoring the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act.

Madeleine Fraley

Port Orchard