USPS dedicated its Alzheimer’s semipostal stamp Nov. 30 in Baltimore.
“The Postal Service is proud to issue this stamp today to help raise public awareness of Alzheimer’s,” said PMG Megan J. Brennan, who led the dedication ceremony. “Proceeds from its sale will help support urgently needed medical research into this incredibly debilitating disease.”
More than 5.3 million Americans age 65 or older are estimated to have Alzheimer’s, which destroys the minds of those affected and challenges family members and caregivers.
The dedication ceremony was held at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
Participants included U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland; Dr. Marie A. Bernard, deputy director of the National Institute on Aging, which is part of the National Institutes of Health; Dr. Richard Bennett, president of the Bayview Medical Center; Dr. Constantine Lyketsos, director of Bayview’s Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center; and Kathy Siggins, a Maryland resident who submitted the stamp suggestion.
The Postal Service’s Facebook page has a video recording of the ceremony that employees can watch on their own time.
The price of the Alzheimer’s semipostal stamp includes the First-Class Mail single-piece postage rate in effect at the time of purchase, plus an amount to fund Alzheimer’s research.
By law, revenue from sales of the Alzheimer’s semipostal stamp — minus the postage paid and the reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred by the Postal Service — will be distributed to the National Institutes of Health, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The stamp is available at Post Offices and usps.com. The Postal Service’s news release has more information.
