In an emotion-filled meeting Wednesday, State Sen. Corey Simon laid out his bill to create a publicly funded awareness initiative for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
Simon told the story of his own mother's ongoing battle with Alzheimer's.
The Senate Committee on Fiscal Policy backed the bill (SB 578), by a vote of 18-0, and sought to comfort Simon, a Republican from Leon County.
"I'm sure my colleagues wouldn't mind me speaking for them and all 40 members of the Senate," said Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Democrat from Miami-Dade County. "We know why you're carrying this. ... We love you, Senator Simon, and we support this legislation."
Committee members emphasized how widespread Alzheimer's is in Florida -- where an estimated 580,000 seniors are living with it -- and that almost every Floridian knows someone with the degenerative brain disease.
Simon said his family looks for moments of joy, even as his mom has disappeared before their eyes. He said there's a "big hole" when it comes to resources and knowing what's available.
"I'm thankful that I've had a lot of friends in this process to kind of point me in the right direction," Simon said, "but there are families out there that don't have that and those are the ones that I worry about the most."
The awareness campaign would include advertising, a website and resource guide, health provider education, and in-person outreach to underserved communities.
Under the bill, the Florida Department of Elder Affairs would contract with a statewide nonprofit and collaborate with other state private agencies.
Alzheimer's Association in Florida is advocating for the bill as its top legislative priority.
"I hope we're getting out in front of this with this bill," Simon said, "so that families don't fall apart, and they do realize that there are treatments that are out there if caught earlier, and there are opportunities for their families to at least get the help that they need."
With Tuesday's committee vote, SB 578 has completed its committee assignments and will head to the Senate floor.
A House version of the bill has not yet advanced.
A similar bill last year passed the Senate but failed to win approval in the House.
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