Now is not the time to slow momentum in Alzheimer’s fight
At a time when more than 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease — including more than 236,000 in Ohio — prioritizing how this devastating disease is addressed remains a critical issue for our country.
Today, Alzheimer’s is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States and one of our country’s most expensive diseases. There are no cures yet, but the ability to detect and slow the progress is available and approved. We just need to keep looking for ways to slow (and someday stop) this devastating disease.
These are among the many reasons we must work toward increased funding for research that would impact the lives of those living with Alzheimer’s as well as their caregivers. And with the recent development of several new treatments that focus on the underlying causes of Alzheimer’s, we know that after decades of attempts, science is getting ever closer to a cure.
We also need to ensure greater access to such future diagnostic methods and treatments, as well as improve the quality of care for those with dementia. We need to have the local health and medical community let the people know about the advances and to use them when testing indicates treatment in the early stages could be slowed.
That is why I am urging Congress, including my representative, Troy Balderson, and other members of the Ohio delegation, to support the bipartisan Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act and Accelerating Access to Dementia and Alzheimer’s Provider Training (AADAPT) Act.
With the advent of future blood tests for key indicators of Alzheimer’s disease, I would argue that such blood tests give patients the same ability to seek early treatment and life changes that such diagnostic tests as pap smears, PSA screening and mammography have long been afforded to cancer patients via Medicare coverage. Easily accessible blood tests, such as P-Tau 217, can be utilized by informed and educated primary care physicians in conjunction with cognitive screening exams for much-needed early diagnoses.
Passage of these two bills would work in concert to assist primary care physicians in providing their patients with timely and current care that all of our governmental representatives should want for their constituents.
Earl Bolander, Newark
COVID not to blame for zero Newark scoreboard revenue
Newark City Councilman Doug Marmie, chair of council’s finance committee, has been on the council for 24 years. Is he still engaged? His closing remarks at a recent meeting cause extreme concern.
In a baseless attempt to try to justify the disastrous failure of the $340,000 baseball scoreboard fiasco at Don Edwards Park, Marmie said that COVID “did devastate the revenue projections of the scoreboard.”
COVID? Really, Councilman? In 2019, Newark Service Director Dave Rhodes issued a letter to the YMCA that waived all revenues collected from the scoreboard advertisements for 2019 and 2020. So it was Rhodes that caused the scoreboard revenue to be zero, not COVID as Marmie claimed.
“(Rhodes) makes decisions on the operation side (Parks & Recreation), we (City Council) legislate his ability to do that, and he did that,” Marmie stated.
According to Section 9.03 (A) of the City Charter, the Service Director “shall be responsible for the direction and supervision of the work… with such additional powers, duties and functions as shall be provided by ordinance or resolution.”
Numerous public information requests to the city law department have confirmed that no required ordinance or resolution exists. Rhodes’ actions diverted $20,000 from the Licking County Foundation to help repay the YMCA. For some unknown reason, Rhodes convinced the YMCA to pay Kessler Sign Co. nearly $43,000 that was owed by the City of Newark.
This whole thing stinks to high heaven.
Dave Froelich, Newark
Thanks to sellers and patrons of Granville Young Entrepreneurs
I would like to thank the seven Granville Young Entrepreneurs (ages 11 to 16 years old) who displayed and sold their homemade products June 28th at the first Granville Young Entrepreneurs Showcase.
Also, thank you to all of their customers who purchased their homemade products.
Matt McGowan, Granville
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Letter: Congress needs to support Alzheimer’s research funding and early screening
Reporting by Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
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