I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4621 

To galvanize United States Government programs in support of brain health 

for global victims of autism, hydrocephalus and Alzheimer’s and other 

forms of dementia, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 12, 2017 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. COHEN, and Mr. MCGOVERN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

A BILL 

To galvanize United States Government programs in support 

of brain health for global victims of autism, hydrocephalus and Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Global Brain Health 

5 Act of 2017’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) The brain is the center of the human nerv4 ous system, exerting centralized control over all 

5 other organs of the body. 

6 (2) Abnormalities in sections of the brain— 

7 namely the corpus callosum (which facilitates com8 munication between the two hemispheres of the 

9 brain), the amygdala (which affects emotion and so10 cial behavior) and the cerebellum (which is involved 

11 with motor activity, balance, and coordination)— 

12 usually occur during prenatal development. 

13 (3) Three main brain disorders are autism, hy14 drocephalus and Alzheimer’s and other forms of de15 mentia. They impact people in both the developed 

16 and developing world, but weigh more heavily on 

17 sufferers in developing countries due to lack of effec18 tive health care, lack of access to health care or cul19 tural influences that inhibit treatment of sufferers of 

20 one of these conditions. 

21 (4) Autism is a complex neurological disorder 

22 that affects an individual in the areas of social inter23 action and communication. Because it is a spectrum 

24 disorder, it affects each individual differently and to 

25 varying degrees of severity. People with autism proc26 ess and respond to information in unique ways. In 


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1 some cases, coexisting medical issues and aggressive 

2 or self-injurious behavior may be present. 

3 (5) The occurrence of autism spectrum dis4 orders (ASD) has increased during the past decade 

5 from an estimated one in 150 in 2000 to an esti6 mated one in 68 in 2012, according to data released 

7 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

8 (CDC) in December 2016. CDC classified as suf9 fering from ASD children whose behaviors were con10 sistent with the DSM–IV–TR criteria for Autistic 

11 Disorder, Asperger Disorder, and Pervasive Develop12 mental Disorder—Not Otherwise Specified (PDD– 

13 NOS). 

14 (6) The increased number of children diagnosed 

15 with autism is a growing and urgent concern for 

16 families, healthcare professionals, and educators, as 

17 the health and education systems struggle to re18 spond to the needs of this population in a com19 prehensive manner. 

20 (7) The prevalence of autism in developing 

21 countries is also growing rapidly, and health and 

22 education systems in these countries are particularly 

23 ill-equipped to deal with these issues. According to 

24 the World Health Organization, tens of millions of 

25 individuals in Africa are affected by autism. 


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1 (8) Children with autism who receive intensive 

2 and appropriate educational services before age 5 

3 often make significant functional improvements. In 

4 the United States, significant efforts are being pur5 sued to expand early diagnosis and the provision of 

6 these services. In a report on the identification, eval7 uation, and management of children with autism, 

8 the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended 

9 in November 2007 that all children should be 

10 screened for developmental delays and disabilities, 

11 presumably including autism, twice by the age of 2, 

12 even if they have no symptoms. Early screening and 

13 services for autism are sorely lacking in most of the 

14 developing world. An opportunity exists to use 

15 United States expertise to significantly aid children 

16 and families in developing countries, for relatively 

17 small costs. 

18 (9) Hydrocephalus, also known as ‘‘water on 

19 the brain’’, is a medical condition in which an abnor20 mal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ven21 tricles or cavities of the brain causes increased 

22 intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive 

23 enlargement of the head. If left untreated, hydro24 cephalus leads to physical and mental disabilities 

25 and eventually death. 


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1 (10) Hydrocephalus is an extremely painful 

2 condition that most commonly occurs in infants and 

3 young children as a result of a congenital abnor4 mality (anatomic abnormality, aqueductal stenosis, 

5 spina bifida or encephalocele), or post-infectious hy6 drocephalus (PIH) caused by infections acquired 

7 after birth, such as meningitis, that attack the 

8 brain. 

9 (11) In developed countries, up to one of every 

10 1,000 newborns develop hydrocephalus, while up to 

11 five of every 1,000 newborns in developing countries 

12 develop the condition. It is conservatively estimated 

13 that more than 300,000 children are born with or 

14 acquire hydrocephalus in the developing world each 

15 year. Experts posit that hydrocephalus is more com16 mon in developing countries because of higher birth 

17 rates, as well as high rates of nutritional defi18 ciencies, low infant birth weight, and perinatal and 

19 neonatal infections. 

20 (12) Children with hydrocephalus who are not 

21 effectively treated or who are not treated in the early 

22 stages of the condition suffer from cognitive defi23 ciencies or physical disabilities or both. 

24 (13) Families of children who have hydro25 cephalus in developing countries rarely know that it 


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1 is a treatable condition, where to go for treatment, 

2 or how to care for a child suffering from the condi3 tion. In addition, access to care is limited in many 

4 developing countries due to low numbers of prac5 ticing neurosurgeons. In 2007, for example, Africa 

6 had 565 neurosurgeons, roughly 86 percent of whom 

7 were practicing in South Africa and Northern Afri8 ca. 

9 (14) Many children with hydrocephalus in de10 veloping countries are abandoned, ostracized, or 

11 abused due to their appearance, physical and mental 

12 disabilities, and inadequate options for care. 

13 (15) Hydrocephalus can be treated, and ad14 vances in innovative medical procedures such as 

15 ETV/CPC have the potential to save thousands of 

16 lives annually and prevent or mitigate physical and 

17 mental disabilities in thousands of children in devel18 oping countries. 

19 (16) A number of international studies show 

20 that between 3.5 to 15 percent of all patients diag21 nosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia 

22 actually have Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, a 

23 condition in which there is too much cerebrospinal 

24 fluid, used to cushion and protect the brain and spi25 nal cord, in cavities in the brain called ventricles. 


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1 Such significant incidents of misdiagnosis illustrate 

2 the need for greater awareness among members of 

3 the medical profession and the general public of 

4 adult hydrocephalus, as well as the need for adopt5 ing a holistic approach towards brain health instead 

6 of a siloed one. 

7 (17) Dementia is a degenerative condition 

8 caused by disease of the brain—usually of a chronic 

9 or progressive nature in which there is disturbance 

10 of multiple higher cortical functions, including mem11 ory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calcula12 tion, learning capacity, language, and judgment. Be13 tween 5 to 7 percent of the world’s population age 

14 60 and above are estimated to have dementia. 

15 (18) Dementia can be caused by various fac16 tors, including traumatic or localized brain injury, a 

17 temporary interruption of the brain’s supply of blood 

18 or oxygen, infection, stroke, brain hemorrhage, pro19 longed seizures, or even excessive alcohol use. 

20 (19) According to Alzheimer’s Disease Inter21 national, more than 47,000,000 people worldwide 

22 were suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia in 

23 2015, a figure that will expand to more than 

24 75,000,000 people by 2030 and more than 

25 131,000,000 people by 2050 if the current trajectory 


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1 of the disease remains unchanged. Globally, a new 

2 person develops dementia every four seconds. Almost 

3 60 percent of people with dementia globally live in 

4 low-to-middle income countries, and by 2050 this 

5 percentage will exceed 70 percent. 

6 (20) Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias 

7 impose a devastating, unsustainable, and rapidly 

8 growing toll on the health and fiscal well-being of 

9 the United States and all countries. In 2015, demen10 tia care cost an estimated $818,000,000,000, world11 wide, more than 1 percent of the world’s Gross Do12 mestic Product (GDP). The cost of dementia care is 

13 projected to reach $2,000,000,000,000 by 2030. 

14 TITLE I—GLOBAL AUTISM 

15 ASSISTANCE 

16 SEC. 101. GLOBAL AUTISM ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

17 (a) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—The Adminis18 trator for the United States Agency for International De19 velopment shall establish and administer a health and edu20 cation grant program, to be known as the Global Autism 

21 Assistance Program, to— 

22 (1) support activities under subsection (c)(2) by 

23 nongovernmental organizations and other service 

24 providers, including advocacy groups, focused on au25 tism in developing countries; and 


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1 (2) establish a ‘‘teach the teachers’’ program 

2 under subsection (d) to train health and education 

3 professionals working with children with autism in 

4 developing countries. 

5 (b) DESIGNATION OF ELIGIBLE REGIONS.—Not later 

6 than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

7 the Administrator, in consultation with knowledgeable au8 tism organizations such as the World Autism Organiza9 tion, the Autism Society of America, and Autism Speaks, 

10 shall designate not fewer than two regions in developing 

11 countries that are determined to— 

12 (1) require assistance in dealing with autism; 

13 and 

14 (2) have sufficient familiarity with issues re15 lated to autism to make effective use of the Global 

16 Autism Assistance Program. 

17 (c) SELECTION OF IMPLEMENTING NGO.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

19 after the designation of eligible regions pursuant to 

20 subsection (b), the Administrator shall select and 

21 award a grant under this section to a nongovern22 mental organization with experience in autism-re23 lated issues to implement the Global Autism Assist24 ance Program through selection and awarding of 


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1 grants to local service providers and advocacy groups 

2 focused on autism. 

3 (2) ACTIVITIES.—A local service provider or ad4 vocacy group that receives a grant under paragraph 

5 (1) may use such grant to carry out any of the fol6 lowing activities (including, as appropriate, the 

7 translation into local languages of relevant English8 language publications): 

9 (A) EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TO THE

10 PUBLIC.—Use public service announcements 

11 and other public media to help the public be12 come more aware of the signs of autism so that 

13 children with autism can be diagnosed and 

14 treated earlier. 

15 (B) SUPPORT TO FAMILIES.—Development 

16 of resources for families, such as online web re17 source centers in local languages, dissemination 

18 of materials to parents of newly diagnosed chil19 dren, such as information contained in the Cen20 ters for Disease Control and Prevention’s publi21 cation entitled ‘‘Learn the Signs, Act Early’’, or 

22 other suitable alternatives, and dissemination of 

23 educational aids and guides to help parents 

24 with their children’s development. 


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1 (C) SUPPORT TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITU2 TIONS.—Funding for schools or other edu3 cational institutions, focusing on teachers of the 

4 youngest students, and including the distribu5 tion of equipment or of the materials referred 

6 to in subparagraph (B). 

7 (D) SUPPORT TO CLINICS AND MEDICAL

8 CENTERS.—Provision of funding to clinics and 

9 medical centers with proven records in address10 ing autism to assist with operating expenses, in11 cluding personnel, equipment supplies, and fa12 cilities, development of assessment testing for 

13 autism, and acquisition of specialized equip14 ment, such as augmentative communication de15 vices. 

16 (3) APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS.— 

17 (A) SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS.—To 

18 be eligible to receive a grant from the imple19 menting nongovernmental organization, a local 

20 service provider or advocacy group shall submit 

21 to such implementing nongovernmental organi22 zation an application at such time, in such 

23 manner, and containing such information as 

24 such implementing nongovernmental organiza25 tion may require. 


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1 (B) ESTABLISHMENT OF SCREENING

2 BOARD.— 

3 (i) IN GENERAL.—The implementing 

4 nongovernmental organization responsible 

5 for implementing the Global Autism Assist6 ance Program shall establish a screening 

7 board to be known as the Project Advisory 

8 Board to review for content and appro9 priateness applications from local service 

10 providers or advocacy groups submitted in 

11 accordance with subparagraph (A). 

12 (ii) MEMBERSHIP.—The members of 

13 the Project Advisory Board shall be ap14 pointed by the implementing nongovern15 mental organization, in consultation with 

16 the Administrator, and in accordance with 

17 the following provisions: 

18 (I) Each member shall serve for 

19 a term of one year and each member 

20 may serve as many as three consecu21 tive terms. 

22 (II) A member of the Project Ad23 visory Board may continue to serve 

24 after the expiration of the term of 


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1 such member until such time as a suc2 cessor is appointed. 

3 (III) Membership of the Project 

4 Advisory Board shall include at least 

5 seven voting members who are mem6 bers of autism advocacy groups, pro7 fessionals working with autism, or 

8 otherwise associated with the autism 

9 community. Among the voting mem10 bers of the Board shall be at least two 

11 parents from different families of indi12 viduals with autism, one medical pro13 fessional working with autism, one 

14 teacher of individuals with autism, 

15 and one individual who has autism. 

16 Efforts shall be made to include on 

17 the Project Advisory Board individ18 uals with experience working in the 

19 developing world. 

20 (IV) Membership of the Project 

21 Advisory Board shall include non-vot22 ing members as determined appro23 priate by the Administrator. 

24 (V) Membership of the Project 

25 Advisory Board shall be chosen so as 


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1 to ensure objectivity and balance and 

2 to reduce the potential for conflicts of 

3 interest. 

4 (4) SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE.—The imple5 menting nongovernmental organization shall provide, 

6 contract for, and coordinate technical assistance in 

7 support of its mission in meeting the goals and pur8 poses of this Act. 

9 (d) TEACH THE TEACHERS.—The implementing non10 governmental organization, acting on behalf of the Admin11 istrator, in consultation with the Project Advisory Board, 

12 shall establish a program, to be known as the Teach the 

13 Teachers Program, to— 

14 (1) identify health and education professionals 

15 to receive specialized training for teaching and work16 ing with youth with autism, including training con17 ducted in two- or three-day workshops at locations 

18 within one of the regions designated pursuant to 

19 subsection (b); and 

20 (2) conduct training through two- or three-day 

21 biomedical conferences in at least two of the regions 

22 designated pursuant to subsection (b), including 

23 bringing medical and psychological specialists from 

24 the United States to train and educate parents and 


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1 health professionals who deal with autism, including 

2 training related to— 

3 (A) biomedical interventions that can af4 fect autism; 

5 (B) how nutrition and various metabolic 

6 issues can impact behavior; 

7 (C) the role of applied behavioral analysis; 

8 and 

9 (D) various occupational and speech thera10 pies in fighting autism. 

11 (e) FUNDING.—To carry out this section, the Admin12 istrator shall allocate amounts that have been appro13 priated or otherwise made available to the United States 

14 Agency for International Development. 

15 (f) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Administrator shall sub16 mit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 

17 of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Rela18 tions of the Senate on an annual basis a report on activi19 ties carried out under this section during the prior cal20 endar year. 

21 (g) AUTISM DEFINED.—In this section, the term 

22 ‘‘autism’’ means all conditions consistent with autism 

23 spectrum disorders described in section 2(5). 


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1 TITLE II—INTERNATIONAL HY2 DROCEPHALUS TREATMENT 

3 AND TRAINING 

4 SEC. 201. ASSISTANCE TO TREAT HYDROCEPHALUS AND 

5 TRAIN SURGEONS. 

6 Chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act 

7 of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et. seq.) is amended by adding 

8 at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 137. ASSISTANCE TO TREAT HYDROCEPHALUS AND 

10 TRAIN SURGEONS. 

11 ‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of assistance author12 ized by this section are— 

13 ‘‘(1) to ensure that life-saving treatment of hy14 drocephalus is an important priority of United 

15 States bilateral foreign assistance, including through 

16 promotion of innovative treatments and training of 

17 medical practitioners from the developing world in 

18 the latest treatment protocols and best practices for 

19 the treatment of hydrocephalus, including— 

20 ‘‘(A) surgery and post-surgery care in de21 veloping countries; 

22 ‘‘(B) the creation of a comprehensive hy23 drocephalus training program based in the de24 veloping world for surgeons and key members 

25 of their medical team; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) the training of medical practitioners 

2 based in the developing world in ETV/CPC and 

3 other appropriate treatment protocols; and 

4 ‘‘(2) to promote research to reduce the inci5 dence of PIH epidemiology, pathophysiology, and 

6 disease burden, and to improve treatment of hydro7 cephalus. 

8 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION.—To carry out the purposes of 

9 subsection (a), the President is authorized to provide as10 sistance to support a network of trained medical practi11 tioners to treat hydrocephalus in children at pediatric hos12 pitals and hydrocephalus treatment centers in developing 

13 countries with a high incidence of hydrocephalus. 

14 ‘‘(c) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.— 

15 ‘‘(1) COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Assistance provided 

17 under subsection (b) shall, to the maximum ex18 tent practicable, be used to establish a com19 prehensive program to administer global hydro20 cephalus treatment and training activities uti21 lizing a network of pediatric hospitals capable 

22 of performing endoscopic surgery in developing 

23 countries. 

24 ‘‘(B) ADMINISTRATION.—The program de25 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall be adminisVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:46 Dec 15, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4621.IH H4621

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1 tered by healthcare executives and neuro2 surgeons with expertise in the treatment of hy3 drocephalus. 

4 ‘‘(C) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibil5 ities of the administrators described in subpara6 graph (B) shall include— 

7 ‘‘(i) developing an appropriate edu8 cation and training curriculum; 

9 ‘‘(ii) establishing quality control 

10 standards; 

11 ‘‘(iii) instituting safety guidelines and 

12 standards; and 

13 ‘‘(iv) developing monitoring and eval14 uation protocols. 

15 ‘‘(2) TRAINING HOSPITAL.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Assistance provided 

17 under subsection (b) shall, to the maximum ex18 tent practicable, be used to establish a surgeon 

19 training program within a pediatric hospital 

20 based in a developing country with a high inci21 dence of hydrocephalus with the goal of training 

22 four surgeons annually and a total of 20 sur23 geons over a 5-year period to treat hydro24 cephalus utilizing the ETV/CPC technique. 


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1 ‘‘(B) TIMELINE.—To the maximum extent 

2 practicable, the surgeon training program de3 scribed in subparagraph (A) should be oper4 ational no later than 1 year after the date of 

5 enactment of this section. 

6 ‘‘(C) TRAINING ADMISSIONS CRITERIA.— 

7 Candidates for the surgeon training program 

8 established under subparagraph (A) shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) have a demonstrated commitment 

10 to providing medical assistance in the de11 veloping world; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) certify that the candidate intends 

13 to remain and practice medicine in the de14 veloping world following completion of the 

15 program. 

16 ‘‘(D) TRAINING PROGRAM METHOD17 OLOGY.—The surgeon training program estab18 lished under subparagraph (A) shall— 

19 ‘‘(i) be conducted by a neurosurgeon 

20 with a minimum of 3 years of full-time op21 erating experience in the developing world; 

22 ‘‘(ii) be a hands-on operating room ex23 perience in the developing world; 

24 ‘‘(iii) utilize a hydrocephalus treat25 ment protocol with an emphasis on ETV/ 


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1 CPC as the preferred treatment when 

2 medically appropriate; and 

3 ‘‘(iv) require that each trainee com4 plete a minimum of 50 ETV/CPC or ETV 

5 procedures and at least 25 VP shunt pro6 cedures. 

7 ‘‘(3) TREATMENT CENTERS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Assistance provided 

9 under subsection (b) shall, to the maximum ex10 tent practicable, be used to establish at least 20 

11 hydrocephalus treatment centers located at pub12 lic and private hospitals in developing countries 

13 with a high incidence of hydrocephalus, which 

14 shall include treatment costs, endoscopy equip15 ment and medical supplies necessary to provide 

16 ETV/CPC procedures to treat hydrocephalus. 

17 ‘‘(B) STAFFING.—The treatment centers 

18 described in subparagraph (A) shall be staffed 

19 by— 

20 ‘‘(i) one or more surgeons who have 

21 successfully completed the surgeon training 

22 program provided pursuant to paragraph 

23 (2); and 

24 ‘‘(ii) a patient care administrator. 


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1 ‘‘(C) TREATMENT.—The treatment centers 

2 described in subparagraph (A) shall— 

3 ‘‘(i) provide surgery to treat hydro4 cephalus in children; 

5 ‘‘(ii) perform at least 50 hydro6 cephalus surgeries annually including a 

7 minimum of 25 ETV or ETV/CPC sur8 geries; and 

9 ‘‘(iii) provide post-surgery care and 

10 support for the children treated in accord11 ance with clause (i). 

12 ‘‘(4) MEDICAL RECORDS AND DATA.—Assist13 ance provided under subsection (b) shall, to the 

14 maximum extent practicable, include the mainte15 nance of medical records which track patient care 

16 activities and information about the causes and inci17 dence rates of PIH. 

18 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 ‘‘(1) CPC.—The term ‘CPC’ means choroid 

20 plexus cauterization, a surgical procedure to reduce 

21 the production of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. 

22 ‘‘(2) ETV.—The term ‘ETV’ means endoscopic 

23 third ventriculostomy, a shunt-less surgical proce24 dure in which an opening is created in the floor of 

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1 spinal fluid to bypass any obstruction and flow di2 rectly to the basal cisterns. 

3 ‘‘(3) ETV/CPC.—The term ‘ETV/CPC’ means 

4 the shunt-less surgical method for treating hydro5 cephalus through the combination of ETV and CPC 

6 surgical procedures. 

7 ‘‘(4) HYDROCEPHALUS.—The term ‘hydro8 cephalus’ means a medical condition in which an ab9 normal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the 

10 ventricles or cavities of the brain causes increased 

11 intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive 

12 enlargement of the head. 

13 ‘‘(5) MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS.—The term 

14 ‘medical practitioners’ means physicians, nurses, and 

15 other clinicians, such as physical therapists. 

16 ‘‘(6) PIH.—The term ‘PIH’ means post-infec17 tious or acquired hydrocephalus which is the onset 

18 of hydrocephalus after birth due to the affects of an 

19 infection, such as meningitis, that has attacked the 

20 brain. 

21 ‘‘(7) VP SHUNT.—The term ‘VP shunt’ means 

22 a ventriculoperitonea shunt which is a plastic tube 

23 that is regulated by a valve and surgically placed in 

24 a brain ventricle that allows the cerebrospinal fluid 


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1 to flow out of the brain through the tube and into 

2 the patient’s abdomen. 

3 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Of the 

4 amounts made available to carry out this chapter for child 

5 survival and maternal health programs through the Bu6 reau of Global Health of the United States Agency for 

7 International Development, there are authorized to be ap8 propriated to the President $375,000,000 for each of the 

9 fiscal years 2019 through 2023 to carry out this section.’’. 

10 TITLE III—INTERNATIONAL ALZ11 HEIMER’S DISEASE AND DE12 MENTIA PROGRAMS 

13 SEC. 301. GLOBAL ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND DEMENTIA 

14 ACTION PLAN. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

16 Human Services shall enter into negotiations with the 

17 World Health Organization to develop a plan for address18 ing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia glob19 ally, to be known as the Global Alzheimer’s Disease and 

20 Dementia Action Plan, focused on the following areas: 

21 (1) Research, including— 

22 (A) clinical research; and 

23 (B) development of a stable and sustained 

24 international commitment to research. 

25 (2) Regulatory issues. 


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1 (3) Clinical care. 

2 (4) Supportive services for patients and care3 givers, including supports using innovative tech4 nologies. 

5 (5) Prevention and health promotion. 

6 (6) Public awareness and education, particu7 larly efforts aimed at reducing stigmas and increas8 ing the inclusion of persons with Alzheimer’s disease 

9 and dementia within civil society. 

10 (b) INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—In developing the plan under 

12 subsection (a), the Secretary of Health and Human 

13 Services— 

14 (A) shall seek— 

15 (i) to enter into partnerships with 

16 other nations that have in place national 

17 plans for addressing Alzheimer’s disease 

18 and other forms of dementia; and 

19 (ii) to the greatest extent possible, en20 sure that the plan under subsection (a) is 

21 compatible with the plans of such other na22 tions; and 

23 (B) in the case of other nations that do 

24 not have such plans in place, shall encourage 


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1 such nations to develop and implement such 

2 plans. 

3 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

4 the Congress that the Group of Eight (G8) nations, 

5 working with the Group of Twenty (G20) nations, 

6 the Group of Seventy-Seven (G77) nations, and 

7 other organizations including the Organization for 

8 Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 

9 should investigate systems to monitor and provide 

10 care to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and 

11 other forms of dementia in developing countries to 

12 help build care delivery capacity. 

13 SEC. 302. GLOBAL ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND DEMENTIA 

14 FUND. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

16 Human Services, working with the Secretary of the Treas17 ury, other nations, nongovernmental organizations, and 

18 private entities, shall seek to establish a fund, to be known 

19 as the Global Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Fund, 

20 to provide resources to support implementation of the 

21 Global Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Action Plan. 

22 (b) EARLY-STAGE EFFORTS.—In the early stages of 

23 carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Health and 

24 Human Services shall establish priority areas of focus and 


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1 a governance structure for the Global Alzheimer’s Disease 

2 and Dementia Fund. 

3 SEC. 303. ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND DEMENTIA COORDI4 NATOR. 

5 The President shall appoint a high-level official from 

6 the Department of Health and Human Services to lead 

7 and coordinate all efforts of the Federal Government with 

8 respect to developing the Global Alzheimer’s Disease and 

9 Dementia Action Plan and the Global Alzheimer’s Disease 

10 and Dementia Fund. 

11 SEC. 304. FOREIGN AID IMPLICATIONS. 

12 The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in col13 laboration with the heads of the United States Agency for 

14 International Development and other relevant Federal de15 partments and agencies, shall— 

16 (1) investigate the foreign aid implications of 

17 Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia; 

18 and 

19 (2) inform Congress as to the need for possible 

20 changes to health care-related foreign assistance. 

21 SEC. 305. PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. 

22 The President shall encourage and facilitate partner23 ships between the Federal Government and the private 

24 sector, such as the partnerships in effect between the Na25 tional Institutes of Health and pharmaceutical companies, 


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27 

•HR 4621 IH

1 to identify new approaches to treat Alzheimer’s disease 

2 and other forms of dementia. 

Æ 


lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS