Washington D.C. (July 23, 2019) - UsAgainstAlzheimer’s chairman and co-founder George Vradenburg today released the following statement on the need for brain health check-ups across the United States as a basic part of routine care.

“On the heels of the nation's largest Alzheimer's scientific conference, I am calling on the entire U.S. healthcare community to make brain health check-ups more routine and systematic. If we are going to truly get serious about our national goal of finding an effective means of treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, and ultimately a cure, by 2025, preventive brain health across the lifespan must become a national priority. This is particularly true for communities of color and low-income communities, who face systemic barriers to these assessments and for whom tailored solutions are needed to promote brain health equity. Alzheimer’s disease is the No. 1 public health crisis our country faces, and it is wreaking havoc on individuals and on our macro healthcare system. Healthcare professionals cannot sit idly by when the latest science is telling us about the increasing efficacy of important preventive, proactive measures – like an annual brain health-checkup.

“UsAgainstAlzheimer’s will continue to make Creating an Optimal System of Brain Health Care a national public health priority. This year, the notion of preventive brain health as a means of potentially slowing or even stopping cognitive decline through risk-modifying behaviors is quickly and increasingly a component of new research. These new findings are present at events like the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference where scientists presented new research on pathways for reducing one's risk of cognitive decline through behavior change. For decades, we have clearly understood the importance of checking the status of our heart, prostate, breast, and lungs – and the brain should be no different. This is particularly true as new risk reduction strategies emerge and we are better able to act on an early assessment of cognitive decline.”