The European Commission has launched the “Healthier Together: EU Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Initiative”, to support EU Member States to reduce the burden of NCDs across Europe. The Initiative identifies effective actions and the available legal and financial supporting tools across five main areas: cardiovascular diseases; diabetes; chronic respiratory diseases; mental health and neurological disorders; and, addressing underlying risk factors. The Initiative will have a budget of EUR 156 million under the 2022 work programme of the EU4Health programme.
The strand on mental health and neurological disorders contains priority areas which have direct or broad relevance for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, including:
• Priority Area 1: Supporting favourable conditions for mental health and increasing resilience; implementing mental-health-in-all policies
• Priority Area 2: Promoting mental well-being and preventing mental disorders
• Priority Area 3: Improving timely and equitable access to high quality services
• Priority Area 4: Protecting rights, enhancing social inclusion, and tackling stigma associated with mental health problems
• Priority Areas 5-6-7: Supporting EU countries to develop and implement national plans for stroke encompassing the entire chain of care (5); Improve screening and monitoring of stroke within primary care (6); Increasing awareness of stroke among the general population and vulnerable populations in particular
• Priority Area 8: Changing attitudes towards dementia, and tackling stigma associated with dementia
• Priority Area 9: Prevention and early detection of neurological diseases, in particular Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
• Priority Area 10: Implementing person-centred integrated care models, to better manage neurological disorders and support the quality of life of patients and their families.
The full paper NCD Initiative paper can is available at: https://ec.europa.eu/health/system/files/2022-06/eu-ncd-initiative_publication_en_0.pdf