Baltimore, MD—The Maryland Department of Health has been awarded a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand Alzheimer’s and related dementias prevention and care programs in the state. The grant period is from September 30, 2023 to September 29, 2028.

Maryland is one of 43 states, cities, and territories to receive funding through the federal Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, signed into law in 2018, to create a national public health infrastructure to combat Alzheimer’s and related dementias and preserve brain health.

“Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias represent an urgent and costly public health crisis,” said Maryland Department of Health Secretary Laura Herrera Scott. “This grant will help Maryland provide support and resources within communities most impacted by this devastating disease and lessen the burden on caregivers and families.”

Alzheimer’s remains the fifth-leading cause of death among Americans age 65 and older, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The Maryland Department of Health will use the funds to continue collaborating with the Virginia I. Jones Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Council to track and report activities in the Maryland State Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias and build upon its Healthy Brain Aging awareness campaign to increase early detection and diagnosis and promote healthy brain aging.

Additional information on cognitive health, including Alzheimer’s disease, is available at MDH here.