CULTIVATING BRAIN HEALTH FOR ALL
WHAT IS THE BRAIN HEALTH ADVOCACY MISSION (BHAM) AND ITS PURPOSE?
BHAM, launched winter of 2022 and led by Ronald M. Lazar, Ph.D., FAHA, FAAN, is a first-of-its-kind, individualized brain health program, IRB-approved by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), under the direction of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute. BHAM is executed in collaboration with professionals, experts and investigators from across the University and in partnership with the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine (UAB Highlands and UAB Hoover Family Medicine Clinics), the UAB Camilla Medical Group, and community professionals.
BHAM aims to help people improve and maintain their brain health for both the present and for the future, starting young (18+), which is important for preventing cognitive decline and dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson disease.
HOW DOES BHAM WORK?
BHAM is focused on engaging, empowering, and educating diverse populations – all populations – about their brain health for healthy aging and memory loss prevention in Alabama and beyond through meaningful connections in the community and in primary care clinics (“clinic-within-a clinic” model). We engage on-going conversations – two-way, trust-building, confidential sharing and listening with a brain health champion that puts the program participant first.
BHAM incorporates 12 evidence-based modifiable lifestyle behaviors, habits and conditions (expansion of Life’s Simple 7) that impact the brain as early as adolescence (Primary Care Agenda for Brain Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association) – impetus for BHAM), a brain care score tool, a nurse investigator and other brain health champions/coaches. The “coaching” supplements care and information offered by the primary care provider and thereby helps reduce the provider’s burden.
BHAM is “personalized medicine” for each participant; the participant and their “brain coach” develop healthy target(s) based on what’s important to the participant in the specific community in which they live, work and play. Targets take into consideration any shared personal and community obstacles of a participant to help optimize their brain health goal(s) while building trust – human to human.
WHY BHAM?
Early prevention of cognitive compromise is critical because once decline begins, there are few therapeutic options. Time is of the essence. So, primary care BHAM brain champions can play a key role in improving brain health outcomes for healthy aging.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR BHAM?
Listening and Learning. Inclusive listening and learning from more Birmingham-area residents, in clinics (underway at present), and in community settings, through open and empathetic dialogue; intently absorb and conclude what is needed for optimizing brain health in the Birmingham-metro community across all populations, face-to-face. This is a listening and learning year to better understand how the BHAM team, UAB and community partners can all work together help address the vastly underserved brain health needs of Birmingham and Alabama for improving health as we age, starting with the body’s command center, the brain.
Scaling BHAM for expanding reach – our top priority – to address brain health needs across Alabama and for replicating in our region, NOW.
Your partnership will help us better listen and learn what is needed to scale BHAM and comprehensively transform lives and communities by optimizing brain health for all.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
The BHAM program team seeks to better serve the Birmingham-metro area, Alabama and beyond by improving health outcomes through brain health intervention, and YOU can help us accomplish our goal by:
