Requires DHS to establish Alzheimer's disease public awareness campaign.

A5063

ASSEMBLY, No. 5063

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 14, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Haider, Assemblyman Sampson, Assemblywomen
Fantasia, Dunn, Assemblyman Angelozzi and Assemblywoman Speight

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires DHS to establish Alzheimer's disease public
awareness campaign.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning Alzheimer�s disease and supplementing Title
30 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� This act shall be known
and may be cited as the �Alzheimer's Disease Public Awareness and Education
Act.�

���� 2.������ The Legislature finds
and declares that:

���� a.���� Alzheimer�s disease is
a progressive brain disorder that damages and eventually destroys brain cells,
leading to diminished memory, thinking, and other brain functions.

���� b.��� The visible symptoms of
Alzheimer's disease are often mistaken to be a normal part of aging.

���� c.���� Many people with the
disease encounter precarious personal and legal situations due to their
diminished brain function.

���� d.��� Alzheimer's disease
takes an enormous emotional, psychological, financial, and physical toll on the
individual, caregivers, and families.

���� e.���� It has been estimated
that 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer�s disease, with that
number expected to grow to 14 million by 2050.

���� f.���� There are currently no
medicines that are effective in the treatment of Alzheimer�s disease.

���� g.��� Alzheimer's disease and
related disorders or other forms of dementia cost the nation $290 billion per
year, which cost could rise to $1.1 trillion by 2050;

���� h.��� Increased public
awareness and education are needed among health care, social services,
judicial, law enforcement, and emergency medical services personnel in order to
better respond to the needs of patients living with Alzheimer�s disease and
related disorders or other forms of dementia, their caregivers, and their
families.

���� i.���� It is imperative for
New Jersey to commit itself to actively support public awareness and education
efforts throughout the State in order to better meet the needs of its citizens
who are suffering from or affected by Alzheimer's disease.

�

���� 3.��� As used in this act:

���� �Commissioner� means the
Commissioner of Human Services.

���� �Department� means the
Department of Human Services.

���� �Program� means the
Alzheimer's disease public awareness and education program established pursuant
to this act.

���� 4.��� The commissioner,
subject to available funds, shall establish an Alzheimer's disease public
awareness and education program.

���� a.���� The purpose of the
program shall be to promote public awareness of Alzheimer's disease and the
value of early detection and possible treatments, including the benefits and
risks of those treatments.� The department may accept for that purpose any
grant of monies, services, or property from the federal government, an
organization, or a medical school.

���� b.��� The program shall
include the following:

���� (1)�� Development of a public
campaign to promote Alzheimer's disease awareness and education, including, but
not limited to, the following subjects:

���� (a)�� the nature, symptoms,
and warning signs of the disease;

���� (b)�� lifestyle issues
relating to how individuals and families cope with Alzheimer's disease,
including, but not limited to, diet and physical exercise;

���� (c)�� environmental safety and
injury prevention;

���� (d)�� availability of
Alzheimer's disease diagnostic and treatment services in the community; and

���� (e)� cognitive aging and the
benefits of early detection and diagnosis.

���� (2)�� Development of
educational materials to be made available through local boards of health,
physicians, hospitals, and clinics; and

���� (3)�� Development of
educational programs for judicial staff, police officers, fire fighters, and
social services and emergency medical service providers, to assist them in
recognizing the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and understanding how to
respond to the needs of persons with the disease in the course of performing
their duties.

���� 5.��� The department, in
consultation with the Greater New Jersey Chapter of the Alzheimer�s
Association, shall prepare and make available on the department�s Internet
website in English and Spanish, and in a manner that is easily understandable
by the general public, information about the symptoms and treatment of
Alzheimer's disease and any other information that the commissioner deems
necessary.�

���� 6.��� The Commissioner of
Human Services, pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410
(C.52:14B-1 et seq.), may adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the
purposes of this act.

���� 7.��� This act shall take
effect on the 180th day following enactment, except that the Commissioner of
Human Services may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance as
shall be necessary for the implementation of the act.

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires the
Department of Human Services (DHS) to establish Alzheimer�s disease public
awareness campaign.

���� Under the bill, the
Commissioner of Human Services, subject to available funds, is required to
establish an Alzheimer's disease public awareness and education program. The
purpose of the program is to promote public awareness of Alzheimer's disease
and the value of early detection and possible treatments, including the
benefits and risks of those treatments. The DHS may accept for that purpose any
grant of monies, services, or property from the federal government, an
organization, or a medical school.

���� The program is to include the
following: (1) development of a public campaign to promote Alzheimer's disease
awareness and education, including, but not limited to, the subjects outlined
in the bill; (2) development of educational materials to be made available
through local boards of health, physicians, hospitals, and clinics; and (3)
development of educational programs for judicial staff, police officers, fire
fighters, and social services and emergency medical service providers, to
assist them in recognizing the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and
understanding how to respond to the needs of persons with the disease in the
course of performing their duties.

���� The bill provides that the
DHS, in consultation with the Greater New Jersey Chapter of the Alzheimer�s
Association, is to prepare and make available on the DHS�s Internet website, in
English and Spanish, and in a manner that is easily understandable by the
general public, information about the symptoms and treatment of Alzheimer's
disease and any other information that the commissioner deems necessary.