Prop 14 would create dementia research institute that would benefit the Valley
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Early voting ends on October 31 and there are 17 state propositions voters are deciding on.
One of them calls for the creation of a $3 billion Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
In the Rio Grande Valley, dementia isn't just a statistic, it's something many families are already facing every day.
"In the Rio Grande Valley, roughly one in seven seniors is living with Alzheimer's, and that is well above the state average," Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council Area Agency on Aging Director Margarita Lopez said.
That's why Lopez believes Proposition 14 would be beneficial to the area.
"This is extremely important," Lopez said.
Proposition 14 calls for the creation and funding of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. If approved, Texas would invest $3 billion into the effort.
Lopez says the impact it could have here at home could be transformative.
"It's not just a health investment, right, we need to be mindful of the fact that it's a community investment," Lopez said.
"What it does is it creates a fund for Alzheimer's research, Alzheimer's and dementia research," University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Political Science Professor Dr. Mark Kaswan said.
Kaswan says Proposition 14 would be one of the largest health related investments and would lock in a decade of guaranteed funding, which the proposition says would come from the state's general revenue.
"$3 billion is actually a fairly small portion of the Texas economy, so it wouldn't expect there to be any real you know financial impact," Kaswan said.
The rate of dementia in Hidalgo and Willacy counties is 14.8 percent and 14.6 percent in Cameron County. That's well above the statewide rate of 11.9 percent. Supporters say the need is urgent.
"That shows the need for these research and clinical trials so that we can find out why," Lopez said.
Critics say it could create an open-ended and long term financial risk.
Watch the video above for the full story.
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