Collaborative work with community partners and subject matter experts to create, maintain, or expand a coalition to inform and create a local strategic plan to address dementia and Alzheimer's. - Maricopa County, Arizona continues to see a dramatic rise in population due to an increase in tech employment, migration from those seeking warmer weather, lower cost of living, and an environment that caters to retirees. Unfortunately, the Alzheimer’s Association Facts & Figures has identified Arizona as having the fastest-growing rate of Alzheimer’s and a higher rate of increase in dementia cases than any other US state. It is anticipated that this growth will go from 150,000 to 200,000 between 2020 – 2025. As our state grows, so do the demands for services and education to serve our aging population. The Maricopa County Dept. of Public Health seeks to rebuild and strengthen an Alzheimer’s and Dementia Coalition, and partner with clinical providers, community-based organizations, academic institutions, and cities and towns to create an ADRD strategic plan to improve outcomes for our aging population. With the support of the BOLD Grant Component One we will leverage our extensive partnerships to support countywide engagement and education efforts with clinical providers and caregivers, address social determinants of health that have made access to care and education difficult for many caregivers and their families in our most vulnerable communities, and improve community-provider-clinical linkages are often cited as a barrier to care. MCDPH understands that to serve our community we must understand, mobilize, and leverage all who are impacted from persons with lived experience to providers. Our work will focus on coalition building, strategic planning, cross-sector collaboration and implementation, education and awareness, resource, and referral integration, and elevating the needs of our aging population.
