National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA)

In recognition of the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) on the American people, Congress passed NAPA (Public Law 111-375) in late 2010, and it was signed into law on January 4, 2011. NAPA established a coordinated federal effort to address ADRD. The Act required the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to:

• Create and maintain an integrated national plan to overcome Alzheimer's disease
• Coordinate research on and services for Alzheimer's disease across all federal agencies
• Accelerate the development of treatments that would prevent, halt, or reverse the course of Alzheimer's disease
• Improve the promotion of healthy aging, the reduction and mitigation of risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, and support for early diagnosis, care coordination, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease
• Ensure that populations at higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease or least likely to receive care are included in clinical, research, and service efforts to reduce differences in disease occurrence and care
• Coordinate with international bodies to fight Alzheimer's disease globally

The law also establishes a public-private Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care and Services. The Advisory Council makes recommendations to HHS for priority actions to expand, coordinate, and condense programs in order to improve the health outcomes of people living with ADRD and reduce the financial burden of these conditions on them, their families, and society.

NAPA creates an important opportunity to build upon and leverage HHS programs and other federal efforts to help change the trajectory of ADRD.

In order to inform the National Plan to Address ADRD, HHS has partnered with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of War, U.S. Department of Justice, Social Security Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to convene an Interagency Group on ADRD. The group includes HHS representatives from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Administration for Community Living, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Food and Drug Administration, Health Resources and Services Administration, Indian Health Service, National Institute on Aging, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The Interagency Group is working to carry out NAPA's charges to coordinate research and services across agencies, accelerate the development of ADRD treatments, improve early diagnosis and coordination of care, reduce differences in how ADRD affects people, and coordinate with international efforts to fight these conditions. The Plan this group developed was presented to the Advisory Council for review, and updated annually.

Comments and questions, or alerts to broken links, should be sent to napa@hhs.gov.