Your Centers

Since 1984, when the California legislature created the Centers to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding number of people with dementing illnesses [1], the combined impact of the California Alzheimer's Disease Centers (CADCs) has far exceeded that of any one Center. The resulting CADC network has repaid California's investment many times over.

Each CADC was selected for their excellence in:

• Improving health care delivery to persons affected by Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers
• Providing training and education to health care professionals, students, patients, caregivers, and members of the community
• Advancing diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias

Special Value and Contributions of the California Alzheimer's Disease Centers

The CADCs have effectively and efficiently carried out their mandates to improve AD health care delivery, to provide specialized training and education to health care professionals and others, and to advance diagnosis and treatment of AD. In addition, the CADCs serve as an ongoing economic stimulus package to help Californian families and businesses affected by Alzheimer's disease.

• The CADCs have attracted new fiscal resources leveraging the investment of the State by approximately 6-fold or more.
  The new economic resources include support from industry for clinical trials and specialized research, training grants, fellowships from private and public sources, private contributions, various Federal research grants, and grants from private foundations.

• The Centers have helped to build a vital workforce for the growing needs of the State.
  The health care workforce who receive training by the CADCs includes physicians, nurses, physician's assistants, health care professionals, and research investigators. Since 2000, over 541,000 professionals and students have received training and education at the Centers through fellowships, residencies, internships, rotations, clerkships, continuing medical education courses, academic classes, lectures, and presentations.

• Overall, the CADCs serve as an investment for the present and the future that will meet the changing dynamics of the elderly population.

Unique features of the Centers are their capacity to provide superb clinical services to patients and their caregivers, to train health care professionals, and to attract fiscal resources to California. It is clear that the Centers combined have an overall impact that far exceeds an individual Center alone, and similarly, the investment in the program yields a leveraged opportunity for the State that addresses the current and changing demographic needs of California. It is vital that we maintain and build upon past accomplishments, help to create a bright and dynamic future for Californians, and serve to stimulate the California economy.