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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health

Sec. Aging and Public Health

This article is part of the Research TopicInnovations in Dementia Policies and ServicesView all articles

Assessing the ECHO® Model's Role in Strengthening Health Department Responses to Dementia Risk

Provisionally accepted
Shelby RobertsShelby Roberts1Dana SohmerDana Sohmer1Nia WhiteNia White2Jessica M PottsJessica M Potts2Rachel GoldbergerRachel Goldberger1Mickal LewisMickal Lewis1Chelsea KlineChelsea Kline1Lillian MadrigalLillian Madrigal2Rochelle RobertsRochelle Roberts3Nikki Lawhorn RiderNikki Lawhorn Rider2*
  • 1Alzheimer's Association, Chicago, United States
  • 2Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, United States
  • 3Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville, United States

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The Alzheimer's and Dementia Care ECHO Program was adapted for Public Health Professionals and a pilot was conducted among professionals from state and local health departments in Tennessee. The series aimed to increase knowledge, confidence, and public health action around dementia risk reduction. Participants attended six virtual sessions, which featured a brief presentation followed by a case discussion. The evaluation sought to understand the ECHO's impact on public health professional practice and knowledge change regarding dementia risk reduction using a mixed-methods approach. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the ECHO series, increased recognition of dementia risk reduction as a public health issue, and increased knowledge and confidence about reducing dementia risk. Overall, 70% of respondents said they would implement something they learned immediately or in the next 30 days. Increased recognition of and confidence to implement dementia risk reduction strategies can lead to improved health outcomes and more proactive measures being integrated into public health strategies.

Keywords: Alzheimer's, Alzheimer's disease and related dementia, Dementia risk reduction, Echo, Workforce capacity

Received: 15 Aug 2025; Accepted: 13 Nov 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Roberts, Sohmer, White, Potts, Goldberger, Lewis, Kline, Madrigal, Roberts and Lawhorn Rider. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Nikki Lawhorn Rider, nrider@emory.edu

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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