New Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map Released

Details

By CEO James Appleby, BSPharm, MPH

August 9, 2023

The Healthy Brain Initiative has just released the fourth edition of its Road Map series. "State and Local Road Map for Public Health, 2023-2027" is a resource to help address the ever-increasing challenges of cognitive decline throughout the U.S. The new edition offers 24 actionable strategies to promote brain health, improve diagnosis, and maximize care in every community, with additions that align with other existing public health initiatives.

I had the privilege of serving on the Leadership Committee of the Healthy Brain Initiative, along with numerous GSA-member experts, for this update of the Road Map. It is a wonderful tool first introduced in 2005 by the Alzheimer’s Association and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s a collaborative effort to advance public health awareness of, and action on, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias as a public health issue. The partners on this initiative work together to implement public health strategies that promote brain health, address dementia, and help support dementia caregivers.

The Road Map series guides these efforts, and the new edition builds on successes to date, advancing equity by fully integrating brain health and caregiving into state and local public health practice, and addressing social determinants of health across the life course. You can gain additional insight into how to apply this tool during a symposium at the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa this fall — “A Public Health Approach to Brain Health: The HBI Road Map Series” on Friday, November 10, from 8 to 9:30 a.m.

I look forward to seeing you in Tampa!