Don Smithberg, executive director of the Alzheimer's Association of New Mexico, told the Legislative Health & Human Services Committee that Alzheimer's and other dementias are a growing public health and fiscal problem in the state and urged targeted investments to improve diagnosis and community care.

The association asked the committee to support a dementia care specialist pilot it described as a $1,000,000 appropriation to hire trained specialists who would work with rural, tribal and urban providers and caregivers. "There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease at this point in time," Smithberg said, noting federal and private research efforts and two Food and Drug Administration–approved drugs for early-stage patients.

Why it matters: State presenters and the Aging and Long Term Services Department (ALTSD) told lawmakers that about 12% of New Mexicans age 65 and older currently have a diagnosed form of Alzheimer's, that roughly 67,000 unpaid family caregivers provide much of the day‑to‑day care, and that the unpaid value of that caregiving in New Mexico is approximately $120,000,000 per year. Smithberg said Medicaid spending related to Alzheimer's is "a little bit north of $300,000,000" in the state. Committee members were also told that hospital readmission rates for people with dementia exceed 20.5%, compared with typical non‑dementia readmission rates below 5%.

Policy proposal and evidence: Tommy Hernandez, director of public policy for the association, laid out state and federal priorities including expansion of research funding and access to diagnostics and treatment. The group drew attention to House Memorial 53, which requests a cross‑agency work group led by ALTSD and the Department of Health to recommend policy options on public awareness, early detection and risk reduction. Hernandez said the House Memorial’s work group will begin planning July 30 and submit policy recommendations and agency reports as requested by the memorial.

The association proposed an evidence‑based dementia care specialist model, saying a $1,000,000 appropriation could initially fund five specialists, including bilingual and Native language capacity, to deliver provider education, caregiver support and community outreach. Smithberg and Hernandez cited the Wisconsin model (which grew from five to dozens of specialists) and noted recent enactment of similar programs in other states such as Louisiana.

ALTSD role and grants: Angelina Flores Montoya, deputy secretary at Aging and Long Term Services, said the agency plans to house an Office of Alzheimer's and Dementia Care in the relaunched long‑term care division. She described ALTSD efforts including a federal Lifespan Respite Grant that will support education, training, respite and adult day services and said the Office will develop a state plan (covering 2026 forward) and convene the dementia task force created by House Memorial 53. "We are working on our plan on how we can expand that certification to others in the community," Flores Montoya said about staff certification for dementia care supports.

Questions from lawmakers focused on language access, workforce timelines and past state funding. Representative Raybo Caballero pressed the presenters on Spanish‑language capacity; the association said it is training bilingual volunteers and developing bilingual materials but could not give an exact current count. Representative Block and others asked for the basis of the $1,000,000 figure; presenters said it is drawn from other states' pilot budgets and would fund five dementia care specialists with salary, benefits, training and operating costs.

Other federal and state priorities mentioned included additional NIH research appropriations (the association cited a requested $113,000,000 federal increase for Alzheimer's research), the BOLD Act infrastructure funds, and proposals such as the Alzheimer's Screening and Prevention Act and Credit for Caring Act at the federal level.

Supporting services and outreach: Smithberg highlighted a statewide public awareness campaign the association ran with ALTSD — including billboards and other media — and reminded committee members of a 24/7 helpline the association staffs with master’s‑level clinicians. "There is a magnet that can go on every refrigerator of every elder in the state that has a hotline and it is staffed 24 by 7 by over 200 people," he said.

Next steps: The presenters said the House Memorial 53 work group will meet to develop recommendations and the ALTSD task force will convene soon; the association said it will provide training content and technical assistance for any state‑led dementia specialist pilot. Lawmakers asked for more detailed budget breakdowns, implementation timelines and language‑capacity estimates before taking appropriation action.

Ending: Committee members expressed broad interest in the proposals and asked presenters and ALTSD to provide more precise cost and staffing details to inform any appropriation. The presenters left committee members with a near‑term calendar for the work group and ongoing ALTSD planning.