Salus Health Care is located in a medium-size metropolitan area. While it sponsors one small acute care facility, its primary focus is on long term care, with an emphasis on the care of Alzheimer’s patients. The system has three such facilities in the same city as the corporate office, and four others in the region. For several years, the system, as well as the individual local long term care facilities, have collaborated in various ways with the Alzheimer’s Association and have benefited considerably from their relationship with the Association. Most recently, the local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association has invited the system and its individual long term care facilities to be sponsors of the annual “Memory Walk,” the system CEO to be on the national board of the Association and the administrator of the largest facility to be a member of the Association’s regional board.
The Alzheimer’s Association, however, supports human embryonic stem cell research. In June 2004, the National Board of Directors adopted the following policy statement: “In keeping with its mission to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease, the Alzheimer’s Association opposes any restriction or limitation on human stem cell research, provided that appropriate scientific review, and ethical and oversight guidelines are in place.” In a more detailed statement on the Association’s position with regard to human embryonic stem cell research, the Association further states that “human stem cell research is not a current research priority for the Alzheimer’s Association.” (Source: Unknown)