§11251 — Title 42 The Public Health and Welfare | U.S. Code

§11251 Research Program and Plan

Title 42 › Chapter 118— ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND RELATED DEMENTIAS RESEARCH › Subchapter IV— RESEARCH RELATING TO SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND RELATED DEMENTIAS AND THEIR FAMILIES › Part 1— Responsibilities of National Institute of Mental Health › § 11251

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Director of the National Institute of Mental Health must carry out or fund research about the best services and special care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and for their families. The research must look at mental health treatments for dementia-related behavior and mood problems; ways to assess a person’s current abilities and care needs; what kinds of services work best, when they should be used, how much they cost, and how to staff and organize them across home, day care, respite, residential, and institutional settings; how special care units perform and what they cost; how to mix professional services with help from family and friends (and how those services are paid for); ways to support family caregivers to reduce stress; and better ways to deliver services like outreach, care management, outpatient and home care, day programs, respite, and nursing home care. The research must be coordinated with and use resources from other federal programs and centers, NIMH programs on older adults, the Administration on Aging, other Department programs, other federal agencies, state and local agencies, community groups, and private foundations whenever possible.

Title 42, §11251

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Director of the National Institute of Mental Health shall conduct, or make grants for the conduct of, research relevant to appropriate services and specialized care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their families.

(b)The Director of the National Institute of Mental Health shall—

(1)ensure that the research conducted under subsection (a) includes research concerning—

(A)mental health services and treatment modalities relevant to the mental, behavioral, and psychological problems associated with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias;

(B)the most effective methods for providing comprehensive multidimensional assessments to obtain information about the current functioning of, and needs for the care of, individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias;

(C)the optimal range, types, and cost-effectiveness of services and specialized care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and for their families, in community and residential settings (including home care, day care, and respite care), and in institutional settings, particularly with respect to—

(i)the design of the services and care;

(ii)appropriate staffing for the provision of the services and care;

(iii)the timing of the services and care during the progression of the disease or dementias; and

(iv)the appropriate mix and coordination of the services and specialized care;

(D)the efficacy of various special care units in the United States for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, including an assessment of the costs incurred in operating such units, the evaluation of best practices for the development of appropriate standards to be used by such units, and the measurement of patient outcomes in such units;

(E)methods to combine formal support services provided by health care professionals for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias with informal support services provided for such individuals by their families, friends, and neighbors, including services such as day care services, respite care services, home care services, nursing home services, and other residential services and care, and an evaluation of the services actually used for such individuals and the sources of payment for such services;

(F)methods to sustain family members who provide care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias through interventions to reduce psychological and social problems and physical problems induced by stress; and

(G)improved methods to deliver services for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their families, including services such as outreach services, comprehensive assessment and care management services, outpatient treatment services, home care services, respite care services, adult day care services, partial hospitalization services, nursing home services, and other residential services and care; and

(2)ensure that the research is coordinated with, and uses, to the maximum extent feasible, resources of, other Federal programs relating to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, including centers supported under section 285e–2 of this title, centers supported by the National Institute of Mental Health on the psychopathology of the elderly, relevant activities of the Administration on Aging, other programs and centers involved in research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias supported by the Department, and other programs relating to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias which are planned or conducted by Federal agencies other than the Department, State or local agencies, community organizations, or private foundations.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 931 of Pub. L. 99–660, which was classified to section 11231 of this title, was redesignated section 445B of the Public Health Service Act by section 142(a) of Pub. L. 100–607, and is classified to section 285e–4 of this title.

Amendments

1992—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–507, § 7(a)(1)(B), inserted “and specialized care” after “services”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 102–507, § 7(a)(2), designated par. (1) as entire subsec. and redesignated former par. (1)(A) as par. (1), former par. (1)(A)(i) to (vii) as par. (1)(A) to (G), respectively, former par. (1)(A)(iii)(I) to (IV) as par. (1)(C)(i) to (iv), respectively, and former par. (1)(B) as par. (2). Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 102–507, § 7(a)(1)(C)(i), substituted “The Director of the National Institute of Mental Health shall” for “Within 6 months after November 14, 1986, the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health shall prepare and transmit to the Chairman of the Council a plan for the research to be conducted under subsection (a) of this section. The plan shall” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b)(1)(A). Pub. L. 102–507, § 7(a)(1)(C)(ii)(I), substituted “ensure that the research conducted under subsection (a) includes” for “provide for” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b)(1)(A)(iii). Pub. L. 102–507, § 7(a)(1)(C)(ii)(II), added cl. (iii) and struck out former cl. (iii) which read as follows: “the optimal range and cost-effectiveness of community and institutional services for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their families, particularly with respect to the design of such services, appropriate staffing for the provision of such services, the timing of such services during the progression of such disease or dementias, and the appropriate mix and coordination of such services;”. Subsec. (b)(1)(A)(iv). Pub. L. 102–507, § 7(a)(1)(C)(ii)(III), inserted “the evaluation of best practices for the development of” before “appropriate”. Subsec. (b)(1)(A)(v), (vii). Pub. L. 102–507, § 7(a)(1)(C)(ii)(IV), substituted “nursing home services, and other residential services and care” for “and nursing home services”. Subsec. (b)(1)(B). Pub. L. 102–507, § 7(a)(1)(C)(iii), substituted “the research” for “research carried out under the plan”. Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 102–507, § 7(a)(1)(A), struck out par. (2) which read as follows: “Within one year after transmitting the plan required under paragraph (1), and annually thereafter, the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health shall prepare and transmit to the Chairman of the Council such revisions of such plan as the Director considers appropriate.” Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 102–507, § 7(a)(1)(A), struck out subsec. (c) which read as follows: “In preparing and revising the plan required by subsection (b) of this section, the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health shall consult with the Chairman of the Council and the heads of agencies within the Department.”