The mission of the Department of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) is to protect, promote and improve the physical and behavioral health of the people of Nevada. To this end, DPBH Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (CDPHP) programs, including the CDPHP Healthy Aging Programs, focus on integrating physical and behavioral health best practices to improve overall outcomes. The CDPHP section, building on the prior CDC PD 20-2004 BOLD funding framework, will leverage the current and expanded capacity of the Dementia Friendly Nevada Statewide Coalition (Statewide Coalition) and the State Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease (TFAD) to implement specific strategies outlined in this opportunity.
The Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act PL115-406 offered funding for the opportunity for the State of Nevada to focus on capacity building and building partnerships. The State was able to collaborate across funded and unfunded partnerships to update and distribute the State Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease (TFAD, 2023) and update priorities in alliance with our Statewide Coalition. The Coalition comprises community groups representing all geographic and population groups across the State, including frontier, rural, urban, metro, and tribal communities. Additionally, the Statewide Coalition includes representation from public health partner units and agencies, including the Aging and Disability Services Division, the Alzheimer’s Association (Northern California/Nevada Chapter), Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, The University of Nevada, Reno, Sanford Center for Aging, and a large forum of persons living with dementia and their care providers. In collaboration with the University of Nevada Dementia Engagement, Education and Research Program (DEER), the Statewide Dementia Coalition, and the TFAD, the program has integrated the Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map actions into the State of Nevada Strategic Plan and aligned these with stakeholder priorities. The State Healthy Aging Program has identified evidence-based interventions outlined in the community guide, the Road Map actions, and Nevada’s public health priorities and built linkages throughout the State that work in concert to improve the capacity to support the goal of a robust dementia infrastructure.
The following application narrative will provide the current program background, including substantial discussion about successes resulting from the prior BOLD funding cooperative agreement with the CDC; the plan of approach for continued opportunities, including partnership growth and implementation strategies, as well as a discussion around the robust and rigorous evaluation measures and assessment of this program opportunity. The narrative will describe incorporating Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) data and community-specific quantitative and qualitative data identified to expand and improve the response to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) in Nevada. The project intends to increase awareness and understanding of ADRD topics and focus efforts across primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. This funding will support continued efforts to address ADRDs and social determinants of health (SDOH) to achieve health equity goals, including improving the community-clinical linkages across healthcare systems, public health agencies, and community partners. The Nevada CDPHP Aging Program looks forward to continued collaboration with the CDC to implement Component 2 strategies and further support the Coalition and the community stakeholders in executing the State Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease and implementing BOLD infrastructure activities.
