Steve Cohen: “I appreciate Mr. Courtney for yielding to me, and I appreciate him for bringing this bill. He has a long history of now…”

“I appreciate Mr. Courtney for yielding to me, and I appreciate him for bringing this bill. He has a long history of now 15 years of looking out for workers, laborers, and their fair place in our country, and I thank him for that. Over the past 13 months, our healthcare and social service workers have gone over and beyond in their efforts to keep us healthy and free during this COVID-19 pandemic. This bill, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, is one way Congress can help keep them healthy and look out for their safety. This amendment is a simple one. It simply says that Alzheimer's and memory care facilities are added to the type of residential treatment facilities covered by this bill. Alzheimer's and memory care facilities are sometimes overlooked in the definition and should not be. With our aging population, Alzheimer's and dementia is growing in prevalence. In the United States, more than 5.5 million people now are living with Alzheimer's. The number is expected to increase to 14 million people by 2060. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in our country, but third among senior citizens, behind only cancer and heart disease. This increase in Alzheimer's diagnoses means more healthcare workers and social workers will be needed to help patients and their families to try to manage this disease and cope with the effects.…”