Res 0636-2018

By Council Member Eugene Whereas, Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative and fatal disease that can lead to dramatic changes in personality and behavior, along with growing trouble with: memory, thinking and reasoning, decision-making, and performing familiar tasks; and Whereas, According to the Mayo Clinic, there is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease; and Whereas, According to the Alzheimer's Association, in 2017, an estimated 5.5 million Americans were living with Alzheimer's disease, with this number projected to increase to about 16 million by 2050; and Whereas, According to the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias cost the United States $259 billion in 2017, with costs projected to increase to as high as $1.1 trillion by the year 2050; and Whereas, According to the Alzheimer's Association New York State Coalition, approximately 400,000 people in New York State are living with Alzheimer's disease, with New York, alone, paying more than $4.5 billion each year in costs related to Alzheimer's disease, the highest cost to any state in the nation; and Whereas, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Alzheimer's disease was the 6th leading cause of death in the United States in 2017; and Whereas, In 2017, the Alzheimer's Association found that 1 in 3 seniors die with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, with these diseases killing more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined; and Whereas, According to Alzheimer's Disease International, only 1-in-4 people with Alzheimer's disease have been diagnosed, with many people living with the disease undiagnosed; and Whereas, Leading experts in the United States believe that federal funding for research and treatment of Alzheimer's disease is inadequate, falling short of need, and a greater investment, with continued annual increases in federal funding, is necessary in order to stay on track to prevent, diagnose and effectively treat the disease by 2025; and Whereas, Federal funding for Alzheimer's disease has been disproportionally low as compared to other diseases such as HIV/AIDS and cancer, even though Alzheimer's disease is stated to be the most expensive disease in America; and Whereas, According to estimated funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), funding for Alzheimer's Disease including Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias, for Fiscal Year 2017 ending on September 30, 2017, was estimated to be about $1.4 billion, while funding for cancer was estimated to be $6.03 billion and funding for HIV/AIDS was estimated to be $3 billion; and Whereas, In President Trump's 2018 Budget Proposal, a 22% cut in federal funding of the NIH was called for, which amounts to about $7.5 billion in funding, however Congress denied these funding cuts; and Whereas, Despite Congress denying President Trump's proposed 2018 cuts, future efforts to cut funding would drastically hurt the progress that the NIH and other institutions have made in terms of research and treatment for Alzheimer's disease; and Whereas, President Trump's 2018 Proposed Budget, as well as the recently announced decision by Pfizer to end all research and development efforts into new drugs and treatment for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, pose significant threats to future federal funding for the NIH and the advancement in research and treatment for Alzheimer's disease; and Whereas, Continuing annual increases in federal funding for the research and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, while also rejecting future proposed cuts in funding, will improve the health of those with Alzheimer's disease, ease the economic and emotional burden of caregivers, as well as reduce the economic and social costs that the United States incurs due to Alzheimer's disease; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the New York City Council calls upon Congress to continue annual increases in funding for the research and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, while also rejecting future efforts to cut funding in this area LS #2397 2/1/2018 KK