Advocates for people battling Alzheimer's disease and their families are marching in Des Moines this weekend to raise money for brain research and ultimately, to find a cure.

Alzheimer's is a degenerative brain disease and the most common cause of dementia.

Lauren Livingston, communications director for the Iowa chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, said marchers are trying to raise $500,000 and while the funds are critical, she stressed the point of the event goes beyond raising money.

"I've heard a lot of people who come to the event who are personally affected say that they feel like it's kind of a big support group," Livingston explained. "Where you are getting together with other families who have been through something the same, or very similar, to what you've been through with your loved one."

Roughly 62,000 Iowans suffer from Alzheimer's disease and Livingston pointed out the number grows every year. At least 100,000 family members and caregivers in the state are also directly affected.

The Alzheimer's Association reported the number of disease-related deaths doubled between 2000 and 2021, despite a huge increase in research. Nationwide, 7 million people have been diagnosed, and at least 11 million caregivers are directly affected. Livingston noted money raised during the march will be used to provide services to them, too.

"Services like support groups for caregivers and education programs to help people learn about the disease and what to expect if a loved one is living with it," Livingston outlined. "We're there to help caregivers right now, when they're in the middle of the disease with their loved one."

There still is no cure for Alzheimer's disease but federal regulators have recently approved medications that can slow its progression.


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Colorado has made significant improvements in connecting young people with the mental health care they need, according to the mental health advocacy organization Inseparable's latest School Mental Health Report Card.

Many of those gains could be erased if the Trump administration signs off on cuts to Medicaid.

Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, said Colorado relies on Medicaid dollars to reach students where they spend most of their time - in school.

"We use Medicaid to cover a lot of school-based health center care," Michaelson Jenet pointed out. "We could lose that completely, and then how do we fund our school based health centers?"

Since the last report card in 2022, Colorado has improved the ratio of mental health professionals to students by adding 43% more psychologists and 70% more social workers. Colorado also got good marks for creating school environments embracing mental health, for example by allowing excused mental health absences and not disciplining students through exclusion.

The state also instituted annual mental health screenings but the future of the program is in question after Colorado's Joint Budget Committee, facing a $2 billion budget deficit, recently cut its funding.

Caitlin Hochul, vice president of public policy for Inseparable, said when you catch a condition early on, students are more likely to be more engaged in school, have academic success and perform better in the workforce later on.

"We really emphasize providing annual screenings to students so you can catch some of those symptoms or flags early on," Hochul explained. "Then connecting them with some of the care that they need."

Under Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights, voters would have to approve any new revenues to pay for screenings and other initiatives not making the cut. Michaelson Jenet emphasized she is working to keep effective programs to protect children in place.

"One of the things that I'm grateful that the budget protected this year is the I Matter program, offering free therapy for any school-age youth who wants it," Michaelson Jenet noted. "From the beginning of I Matter, we have seen our suicide rate go down."

Nebraska lawmakers are considering a bill to ensure managed health care companies cannot limit the state reimbursement rate for mental health service providers.

Advocates for the bill want to make sure in the future, the companies could not negotiate a lower rate. Right now, there's no requirement they use the posted rates, it has just been the practice. Legislative Bill 380 would keep "guardrails" in place.

Annette Dubas, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Behavioral Health Organizations, said providers have worked for 20 years just to get the reimbursement rates to meet the minimum state standards.

"Nebraska's rates were, two decades ago, towards the bottom," Dubas pointed out. "We've worked hard over those last two decades to get rates built up. It comes down to the ability to build capacity, so that people who are in need of mental health care can access that mental health care."

Dubas noted the bill was introduced after Nebraska autism care providers had to fight an effort to reduce their reimbursement rates last year. It awaits action in committee. Dubas emphasized her group opposes an amendment to remove the minimum pay "guardrails."

Dubas explained low wages and often challenging working conditions already make it difficult to find mental health care professionals, and lower reimbursement rates mean even lower wages and less stable employment. She added protecting the rates already in place is critical to ensuring the ability to recruit and retain workers.

"If rates do not stay up where they need to be, it just puts that much more pressure on these providers to be able not only bring in new workforce, but to retain the workforce that they have," Dubas explained. "Burnout is a huge issue."

Dubas added any rate adjustment legislation could also complicate a reimbursement process she described as already confusing and complex in Nebraska.

A national report card finds that even with a $150 million budget threat last year, Michigan still made solid progress in staffing up its school mental health system.

The report released by Inseparable - a mental health policy organization, as part of the Hopeful Futures Campaign - shows the state reached 36% of recommended psychologists, nearly 60% of counselors, and just over 40% of social workers.

However, Inseparable's Vice President of Public Policy Caitlin Hochul said some gaps remain, including in staff training and essential early mental health screenings.

"When you catch a condition early," said Hochul, "and you get treatment that you need early, you have better outcomes. You're more likely to be more engaged in school and have academic success and perform better in the workforce later on."

The report also finds that while Michigan is making progress, it has failed to enact other key policies, including excused mental health absences and school-linked mental health services program.

According to Inseparable, there's been significant improvement in Michigan's social worker-to-student ration - going from one per 2,300 students to one per 600.

Lynn Maye, a licensed social worker with over 20 years in Detroit schools, credited proper training as key to the state's success.

"There is an organization called the Michigan Association of School Social Workers," said Maye, "who make sure that those types of trainings and educational classes are made available for professional growth and development, for our mental health professionals in the schools."

Polls reveal that mental health is a priority for Americans, regardless of party, with 90% of voters saying expanding mental health care should be a priority for elected officials.