Celebrating in North Dakota

Hello from ND! I think it is great that we've started this blog - what a fabulous way for us to connect and share with each other! The successes we have seen in the public policy arena this year are phenomenal and something we should definitely not keep to ourselves.

Our big success in ND was the passage of HB 1043 for Dementia Services. (Read it here: http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/61-2009/bill-text/JAHF0300.pdf). The bill will establish a statewide dementia care consultation and community education program, both of which are severely needed, especially in the more rural areas of the state (which is pretty much all of it). I know that everyone who took part in getting this bill passed learned a great deal along the way. We learned that ND government has interesting idiosyncrasies. We also learned that support for this bill was nearly unanimous in both chambers of the legislature and among both parties, Republican and Democrat alike. Alzheimer's disease knows no party lines, demographics, or socioeconomic status. What I learned most, and what I think is vitally important for all of us to remember is something that Margaret Mead said many years ago: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

So what's next for the ND legislation? The Dept of Human Services will release a Request for Proposals (RFP), probably within the next month, and the Alzheimer's Association will submit a proposal outlining our ideas on the implementation of the program. Cross your fingers that we are granted the contract to fulfill the requirements of the bill!

--Krista Headland is the Alzheimer's Association Regional Center Director for Western North Dakota.