On Dec. 17, Speaker Chris Sprowls appointed State Rep. Matt Willhite (D-District 86) to serve as a member of the Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Committee. The role of this committee is to advise the Department of Elder Affairs as it relates to legislative, programmatic and administrative issues that affect people living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers.
Since his election in 2016, Willhite has been a staunch advocate for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers, working to pass several pieces of legislation to make Florida a nationwide leader in the battle against Alzheimer’s and other related dementia.
In 2017, during his first term, Willhite sponsored a House Resolution designating June 18-24, 2017 as “Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Awareness Week.” Between 2018-20, he sponsored two pieces of legislation relating to Alzheimer’s disease that strengthened the Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Committee and established the role of dementia director at the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. He has also been honored for his efforts in Alzheimer’s research through clinical trials with his mother at the JEM Research Institute.
“Thank you, Speaker Sprowls, for this honor,” Willhite said. “It is a great privilege to be appointed to this important committee, and I am proud to serve in this new capacity in the battle to find a cure. Alzheimer’s disease touches the lives of 560,000 Floridians, and that does not include the individuals who act as caretakers to their loved ones. As we look at the years ahead, let us remember that our work is not done until a cure is found.”
