Rep. Lee, Cleveland Clinic Announce $780,000 Investment to Expand Access to Dementia Care During Brain Health Awareness Month
Watch and Download Video of Press Conference
LAS VEGAS, NV – Today, on the first day of Alzheimer's and Brain Health Awareness Month, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) visited the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health to announce a $784,000 investment she secured to expand access to dementia care for older adults in rural southern Nevada communities by launching mobile brain health screening.
“Many of us know someone who is affected by Alzheimer’s, dementia or any type of brain health—and cases are expected to nearly double in the United States alone. Despite the number of people living with these diseases, fewer than half of those affected receive a formal diagnosis from a clinician. On top of this, rural Nevadans face steep barriers to accessing high-quality health care, exacerbated by our health professional shortage,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee. “This investment will help address this issue by purchasing a portable MRI scanner and bringing cutting-edge imaging to our underserved rural communities, allowing Nevadans to detect early signs of dementia and stroke-related brain changes.”
The participants in the initiative will receive brain imaging, education on how to lower their health risks, and referrals to specialists at the Lou Ruvo Center.
“We are deeply grateful to Congresswoman Susie Lee for her leadership and support of this important investment in brain health,” said Dylan Wint, MD, Medical Director, Cleveland Clinic Nevada. “This funding allows us to bring advanced brain imaging and preventive screening services directly to rural communities across Southern Nevada, helping more people access care closer to home and strengthening our shared commitment to improving health and quality of life.”
Rural Nevadans currently face steep barriers to accessing high-quality health care. In Nevada, nearly two-thirds of residents live in a primary care Health Professional Shortage Area, including 89% of the rural population. This effort addresses those barriers and promotes brain health by bringing preventive screening, awareness, and referral services to older adults in rural communities.
Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is dedicated solely to the pursuit of more effective treatments for memory loss, dementia and other cognitive disorders and to the provision of state-of-the-art care for individuals affected by these diseases and their care partners.
Congresswoman Lee has used her seat in Congress to expand access to high-quality, affordable health care for Nevadans. She secured an over $4.5 million investment to allow UNLV to purchase the state’s only functional MRI (fMRI) machine, providing UNLV’s faculty with a valuable resource to advance the field of neuroscience, strengthening research and enhancing training for medical and health physics students. She also led and passed her MOBILE Health Care Act, which President Biden signed into law. This bipartisan law allows Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to acquire and dispatch more mobile clinics, helping bring essential health care to people where they are.
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