This bill establishes the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Prevention and Support Program, which the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention must administer in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, office of aging and disability services. The program's objectives include public education, supporting efforts for early detection and diagnosis, reducing cognitive decline and other negative outcomes and supporting care planning and management. The bill also creates the Healthy Brain Initiative Council as an advisory board composed of various stakeholders including, but not limited to, families affected by Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, medical professionals and medical facilities that treat individuals with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, research and advocacy organizations and employees of the office of aging and disability services. The council is responsible for studying and developing findings and recommendations on a series of topics including, but not limited to, the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease or related dementias in this State, the treatment and care available and policies that address public awareness, prevention and early detection, treatment and care, safety concerns, legal concerns, research and assistance to families. By December 3, 2025, the council must submit to the Governor and the Legislature a
5-year plan outlining its recommendations to address the concerns the council is tasked with studying under the bill. A plan that is in effect on the effective date of this legislation that was developed by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in consultation with stakeholders, to address Alzheimer's disease or related dementias prevention and support, is deemed to fulfill the requirement to create a plan by December 3, 2025. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is required to issue annual updates on the progress of the plan's implementation, and the council is required to issue an updated plan every 5 years.