Committee passes bill to create dementia continuity coordinator at Department of Health

A legislative committee on Wednesday approved a bill to establish a dementia continuity-of-care coordinator within the Oklahoma Department of Health to centralize services now spread across multiple agencies.

The bill’s presenter told the committee the measure would put one person in the Department of Health to connect services for Alzheimer’s and related dementias. “We have 70,000 people in Oklahoma with Alzheimer’s right now,” the presenter said, pressing the need for better coordination.

The measure’s sponsor said the position is intended to knit together programs that currently “run across about 14 different agencies,” improving navigation, referrals and data-driven planning as dementia prevalence grows. Committee members asked whether the bill applies only to Alzheimer’s or to the broader set of dementias; the presenter said the bill focuses on Alzheimer’s dementia but is intended to capture the broader spectrum, including vascular and Lewy body forms.

Representative Roe questioned the fiscal impact. The presenter said the fiscal estimate is about $150,000 and added that private funds and foundations would cover the first two years, with an expectation of federal grant funding by the third year, meaning “technically there is no fiscal impact to the state” in early years.

With no further debate, the clerk opened the queue and the committee recorded 6 ayes, 0 nays. The chair declared Senate Bill 14-28 passed.

The bill next proceeds to remaining legislative steps; committee members suggested the centralization created by the coordinator could be a first step toward longer-term interagency streamlining.