The Big Picture
Utah is aging faster than many people realize. While the state is known for being young, it’s now the fifth fastest-aging state in the U.S.—and that shift is already changing what healthcare needs to look like on the ground. One of the biggest challenges that comes with an aging population is cognitive decline, including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
To address that reality sooner—rather than later—University of Utah Health has been selected to participate in the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative U.S. Early Detection Expansion Program, a national effort aimed at identifying cognitive impairment earlier in routine primary care.
What’s Happening
At its core, this initiative is about building a better, more reliable system for screening and identifying cognitive impairment in primary care settings—before symptoms become crises.
Here’s what University of Utah Health is doing:
Participating as one of only two U.S. health systems selected for this effort
Implementing and refining screening workflows across five primary care clinics
Treating the work as a real-world “quality improvement” project—figuring out what actually works in everyday clinic visits
Helping shape a broader toolkit (referred to as a blueprint) that other health systems can eventually use to improve early detection anywhere
The idea is that screening doesn’t need to be dramatic or intimidating—it can be something that fits naturally into regular care and can be completed in just a few minutes.
Why It Matters
The biggest win here isn’t just “finding” cognitive impairment earlier—it’s what early detection unlocks: faster evaluation, faster support, and a clearer path forward for patients and families.
In many cases, delays in identifying cognitive issues can mean delays in:
getting a full workup started
connecting with specialists like neurologists
planning for care needs and support systems
addressing reversible factors that may be contributing to symptoms
This program is also designed to reduce bottlenecks. One meaningful outcome would be shortening the time it takes for a patient to move from an initial concern to a specialist evaluation, so people aren’t stuck waiting while symptoms progress.
The Bottom Line
Utah’s population is aging quickly, and cognitive health needs to be treated as a routine part of primary care—not a late-stage discovery. University of Utah Health’s participation in the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative expansion program is about making cognitive screening more standard, more comfortable, and more effective, with the goal of helping patients get answers and care sooner.
And because this work will inform a broader blueprint, what’s being built in five Utah clinics could eventually help improve early detection in health systems across the country—and beyond.