(a) The California Health and Human Services Agency shall establish an Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Committee consisting of 14 members selected as follows:

(1) One representing the field of academic medical research.

Terms Used In California Health and Safety Code 1568.17

  • Committee membership: Legislators are assigned to specific committees by their party. Seniority, regional balance, and political philosophy are the most prominent factors in the committee assignment process.
  • department: means State Department of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 20
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Health and Safety Code 23

(2) One representing the field of social research.

(3) One representing the field of mental health.

(4) One representing the Alzheimer’s day care resource centers.

(5) One representing the Alzheimer’s disease diagnostic and treatment centers.

(6) Two representing families of persons suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders.

(7) Two representing organizations providing services to Alzheimer’s disease patients.

(8) One representing a consumer organization representing persons with Alzheimer’s disease.

(9) One representing a member of the State Bar who is familiar with the legal issues confronting Alzheimer’s disease victims and their families.

(10) Two people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease to serve one-year terms.

(11) The Secretary of California Health and Human Services or his or her designee.

(b) Members shall serve at the pleasure of the Secretary of California Health and Human Services. The agency secretary may establish fixed terms for advisory committee membership. For purposes of continuity, those terms shall be staggered.

(c) Members shall serve without compensation, but shall receive reimbursement for travel and other necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of their official duties.

(d) The Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Committee shall do all of the following:

(1) Provide ongoing advice and assistance to the administration and the Legislature as to the program needs and priorities of the target population.

(2) Provide planning support to the administration and the Legislature by updating recommendations of the 1987 California Alzheimer’s Disease Task Force Report and regularly reviewing and updating recommendations as needed.

(3) Appoint a chairperson and vice chairperson.

(4) Meet quarterly.

(e) The Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Committee shall do all of the following when making policy and plan recommendations:

(1) Consult with a broad range of stakeholders, including, but not limited to, people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, family caregivers, community-based and institutional providers, Alzheimer’s disease researchers and academicians, formal caregivers, the Alzheimer’s Association, the California Commission on Aging, and other state entities.

(2) Consider the recommendations of other state plans, including, but not limited to, the Olmstead Plan, the Long-Range Strategic Plan on Aging, and the California Department of Aging’s State Plan on Aging.

(3) Consider cultural and linguistic factors that impact persons with Alzheimer’s disease and their families who are from diverse populations.

(4) Review current state policies and practices concerning care and treatment related to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia disorders, and develop recommendations concerning all of the following issues:

(A) Community-based support for California’s diverse people with Alzheimer’s disease and their family members.

(B) Choices for care and residence for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and their families.

(C) An integrated public health care management approach to Alzheimer’s disease in health care settings that makes full use of dementia care practices.

(D) The dementia competence of health care professionals.

(E) Early identification and intervention through increasing public awareness of Alzheimer’s disease.

(f)  All meetings of the advisory committee, and any subcommittees thereof, shall be open to the public and adequate notice shall be provided in accordance with Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

(Amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 339, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2009.)