Lilly Convenes Leaders at National Mayor's Conference to Address Impact of Alzheimer's Disease on Local Communities

INDIANAPOLIS, June 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease expected to triple by 2050, there is an urgent need for greater awareness of the economic and social impact of the disease on families, communities and health systems. In an effort to educate and activate local communities to plan for this emerging public health crisis, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) today kicked off an expansion of its Community Conversations on Alzheimer's series with a panel discussion at the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana.

"With the prevalence of Alzheimer's in Indiana slated to increase by 18 percent by 2025, the U.S. Conference of Mayors seemed like a critical opportunity to highlight Alzheimer's services and discuss the broader impact this disease has on our communities," said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. "Through the Community Conversations program, I'm hopeful we'll not only continue to educate and activate residents, but share insights with other cities to encourage similar action across the country."

Community Conversations is part of the Alzheimer's Readiness Project, an initiative aimed at inspiring action by fostering a deeper understanding of the disease, its evolving science, and the public health crisis it poses. Since its inception in 2012, local Community Conversations events have sparked action in 13 cities across the country. In 2016, events will be held in Santa Clara, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Atlanta, GA and Miami, FL, with additional cities planned (to be announced).

Panelists included Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, Randi Chapman from the Alzheimer's Association, Malaz Boustani, M.D., professor of medicine and research director at the Indiana Center for Aging Research, and Mike Simmons, DBA, director of advocacy and professional relations at Lilly. Moderated by Phyllis Ferrell, vice president and head of Lilly's Global Alzheimer's Disease Platform Team, the panel discussed how local governments can prepare for the fiscal and social impact of Alzheimer's disease in partnership with healthcare and advocacy communities.

"For more than a quarter of a century, Lilly has been continuously working toward identifying meaningful solutions to help those living with Alzheimer's disease and their families," said Ferrell. "We're hopeful that by helping organizations work together to identify the issues and challenges within their communities that may impede detection and diagnosis, we'll be able to shift perceptions of the disease as a whole."

About Community Conversations
Community Conversations is a community-informed program devoted to sharing information and resources which may help improve outcomes for people with Alzheimer's disease and those who care for them. It brings together a diverse group of stakeholders from the community, to create dialogue and action plans focused on improving awareness, detection, and care practices and support services related to Alzheimer's disease.

About the Alzheimer's Readiness Project
The mission of the Alzheimer's Readiness Project is to inspire action by fostering a deeper understanding of Alzheimer's, its evolving science, and the public health crisis it poses. Through outreach, events, and partnerships, the Project strives to be an important voice in the global Alzheimer's disease conversation, elevating awareness of the need for and value of advancements in the fight against Alzheimer's disease. For more information, please visit www.alzreadinessproject.com.

About Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease is a fatal illness that causes progressive decline in memory and other aspects of cognition. It is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.^[1],[2] There are currently an estimated 47 million people living with dementia worldwide.^[1] The number of people affected by dementia is expected to be more than 75 million in 2030 and 132 million in 2050.^[1] Estimates vary, but experts suggest that as many as 5.4 million Americans may have Alzheimer's disease.^[3] 

About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly is a global health care leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, visit us at www.lilly.com and newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels. C-LLY

[1] Alzheimer's Disease International. Dementia statistics. http://www.alz.co.uk/research/statistics. Accessed February 2016.

[2] Alzheimer's Association. What Is Dementia? http://www.alz.org/what-is-dementia.asp. Published January 2016. Accessed February 2016.

[3] Alzheimer's Association. 2016 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures Report. Available at http://www.alz.org/documents_custom/2016-facts-and-figures.pdf. Accessed May 2016.

Refer to:  Scott MacGregor, [email protected]; 317.440.4699 (Lilly)
               Stephanie Bukantz, [email protected]; 973.477.1814
               (CHPR)

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