09/29/2026
On July 29, 2026, the Massachusetts House of Representatives unanimously passed Bill H.5621 (originally introduced as H.4302/H.2398), titled "An Act to improve care and prepare for the new era of Alzheimer's and dementia." Sponsored by Representative Danielle Gregoire, the landmark legislation aims to modernize the state's healthcare infrastructure and expand critical protections for an estimated 135,000 residents living with dementia and their 220,000 caregivers.
The core components of the bill passed by the House include:
• Hospital Care & Caregiver Visitation: Acute care hospitals must allow medically appropriate visitation for patients with Alzheimer's or other cognitive impairments. It treats designated family members and caregivers as essential members of the care team rather than standard visitors, requiring prompt notifications upon hospital admission and prior to discharge.
• Expanded Diagnostic Notifications: The bill expands current legal mandates to ensure families or legal representatives are notified of an initial diagnosis for any form of dementia, not just Alzheimer's disease.
• MassHealth Benefits Coordination: It introduces a new MassHealth dementia care coordination benefit for eligible individuals enrolled in Senior Care Options and One Care plans, providing clinical navigation support for patients and respite help for caregivers.
• First Responder & Healthcare Training: The act mandates a minimum of two hours of initial dementia training and biennial continuing education for state and municipal police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel to better manage communication and behavior.
• Statewide Infrastructure: It establishes a full-time Director of Dementia Care and Coordination within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to oversee the implementation of the State Alzheimer's Plan
