Letter: Representative Kat Cammack, please say yes to the ASAP Act — ASAP!

Letter to the editor

In the 15+ years my family has operated Touching Hearts at Home, serving adults and seniors, I have sat across the table from hundreds of families facing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

The conversations are often the same. A spouse knows something is wrong but doesn’t have answers. An adult child is worried about a parent who seems different or “off.” A family has spent months—or sometimes years—going from appointment to appointment trying to understand what is happening to someone they love.

By the time many families receive a diagnosis, they have already lost precious time.

I recently traveled to Washington, D.C. with the Alzheimer’s Association to advocate for the bipartisan Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act. For me, this issue is both professional and personal. My grandmother, Rita “Nana” Noa, lived with Alzheimer’s disease. Our family experienced firsthand the uncertainty, frustration, and heartbreak that comes with searching for answers while the disease continues to progress. We were forced to wait three years to receive her diagnosis. Three years.

Today, science has given us an opportunity to do better and to ensure a faster diagnosis and treatment.

The ASAP Act would help expand access to FDA-approved blood biomarker testing for Alzheimer’s disease, paid for through Medicare. Earlier detection means families can access treatments and medications sooner, explore clinical trials, plan for the future, and make informed decisions while there is still time to do so.

The ASAP Act is not a partisan issue. It is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue.

Alzheimer’s disease does not care how you vote. It’s not red. It’s not blue. It’s purple — to #ENDALZ.

That is why we are grateful to Senator Rick Scott and Representative Vern Buchanan for supporting the ASAP Act and recognizing the importance of earlier detection.

Now we are asking Representative Kat Cammack to join them. And I encourage anyone who has been affected by Alzheimer’s disease to contact her office and share their own experience. Let your voice be heard for those who can no longer remember.

Representative Cammack represents thousands of constituents whose lives have been touched by Alzheimer’s disease. As Florida’s population continues to age, that number will only grow. The reality is simple: Alzheimer’s is increasing, not decreasing. The need for action is becoming more urgent, not less.

I respectfully urge Representative Cammack to join Senator Rick Scott, Representative Vern Buchanan, and the growing bipartisan coalition supporting the ASAP Act. Florida families cannot afford for us to sit on the sidelines while this disease continues to impact more of our neighbors, friends, and loved ones every year.

For families facing Alzheimer’s, time is everything. The sooner we can provide answers, the sooner we can provide hope.

Representative Cammack, please say yes to the ASAP Act — ASAP.

Respectfully,
Christina M. Ramos, Gainesville
Executive Director & Administrator, Touching Hearts at Home; Alzheimer’s Advocate; and Former Family Caregiver

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