740,000 euros for the care of ALS patients in Madrid

The Madrid Health Service and the Adela Madrid Association have signed an agreement, dated July 23, 2026, which implements a nominative grant of 740,000 euros for the care of people affected by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The agreement is published in the Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid number 200, dated August 22, 2026, in the Announcements section of the Ministry of Health.

The aid will finance home care and therapeutic actions in physiotherapy and speech therapy, the enhancement of health information and training for patients and families, and the facilitation of access to the specialized day care center for the year 2026.

An agreement between two institutions

The agreement is signed, on behalf of the Madrid Health Service, by Laura Gutiérrez Barreno, Vice-Minister of Health and Director General of the organization, appointed by Decree 257/2023, of November 22; and, on behalf of the Adela Madrid Association, its president and legal representative, María Carmen Martínez Sarmiento, accredited by a public deed granted before the Madrid notary Carmen Boulet Alonso.

The grant is awarded directly as a nominative grant, under articles 22.2.a) and 28 of Law 38/2003, General Law on Subsidies, and Law 2/1995, on Subsidies of the Community of Madrid. The amount is paid from budget item 48027, of program 312B “Primary Health Care”, provided for in Law 6/2025, of December 23, on the General Budgets of the Community of Madrid for 2026.

What is financed and who benefits

ALS is a neuromuscular disease in which the motor neurons that control voluntary muscles progressively lose their function, causing weakness that advances to paralysis and threatens motor autonomy, oral communication, swallowing, and breathing. Therefore, both those affected and their families require continuous physical and personal support.

The Adela Madrid Association provides home therapeutic services to people with ALS in the Community of Madrid, especially in physiotherapy and speech therapy, as well as psychosocial assistance. Among the obligations assumed by the entity, the following stand out:

• Maintain a care center with 45 places, of which 15 are reserved for people with reduced mobility.
• Provide home help and assistance to patients and families, including those referred from the ALS units of public hospitals.
• Carry out the evaluations requested by the Madrid Health Service and submit an annual activity report.
• Justify the activities carried out and submit to sanitary, administrative, and economic inspection.

Payment, validity, and monitoring

The grant payment will be made in three partial payments throughout the 2026 financial year: one in the month following the end of the first semester, another at the end of the third quarter, and the last before December 31, provided that the activities are correctly justified. The justification of expenses must be submitted before December 15, 2026.

The agreement will be in effect from its signing until December 31, 2026, with an eligible period extending from January 1, 2026. A joint monitoring commission, composed of two representatives from each institution, will ensure the fulfillment of the actions and resolve any possible discrepancies.

The grant is part of the Strategic Grant Plan of the Ministry of Health for the 2025-2027 financial years, the objective of which is to promote health programs from non-profit entities that humanize care and improve prevention in prevalent pathologies. On April 22, 2024, the Ministry launched the Specialized Day Care Center for ALS, to which patients are referred from the five ALS units of the RED-ELA of the Madrid Health Service.

The news reinforces the commitment of the Community of Madrid to a neurodegenerative disease with a great social and family impact, guaranteeing resources so that patients maintain the best possible state of health and preserve their capacities for as long as possible.

Source: Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid, no. 200, August 22, 2026, section I.D Announcements, page 85 (official reference: BOCM-20260822-15).