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Alzheimer Research and Care Update

Congress Recommends Funding for Alzheimer Research and Care

Alzheimer Research
Present recommendations from Congress only increase federal funding for Alzheimer research by 2% in the 2008 budget -- a total of $16 million above current spending. This is a far cry from our goal of a $125 million increase and does not even keep up with research inflation. This is completely unacceptable!

There is still time for Congress to add more funds for research before the final 2008 budget is approved. All members of Congress will be home for their summer break from Aug. 6 – Sept. 3. This is a great time for advocates to get involved.

What Can I Do Now ?          

This is the fourth year in a row that Congress and the President have stepped back from the government's commitment to Alzheimer research.  

Click here to e-mail to your members of Congress. Tell them to increase Alzheimer research funding by $125 million.  

Alzheimer Care Programs
Thanks to the continued hard work of our advocates, the House and Senate have both taken positive steps towards restoring funding for Alzheimer care programs.

The House voted on funding for the 24/7 Helpline, the CDC Brain Health Initiative and the Alzheimer State Matching Grants Program. The Senate has only made preliminary recommendations for these programs. 

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have recommended $1 million for Safe Return®. Further action is expected in September.

To view a chart of our progress see: http://www.alz.kintera.org/federalfunding.
Final decisions on these programs will not occur until late in the fall.


Senate Hearing on Alzheimer's
On July 17th, Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Richard Burr (R-NC) held the first-ever hearing featuring the leadership of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The NIH provided an overview of current progress in Alzheimer research, the CDC discussed the importance of continuing the Brain Health Initiative and the FDA discussed their role in assuring the safety and effectiveness of Alzheimer drugs. Senators Mikulski and Burr urged the leaders of NIH, CDC and FDA to work together to improve the federal response to Alzheimer's disease.
Listen to the replay or read the testimony.

New National Alzheimer's Study Group
On July 11th, the co-chairs of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease, the Alzheimer's Association and Senators Mikulski and Burr announced the creation of an Alzheimer's Disease Study Group to address the escalating epidemic Alzheimer's disease poses to the nation. Chaired by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and former Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE), the group will evaluate the nation's current effort to combat Alzheimer's disease and develop recommendations for the public and private sectors to address the problem. A report to the Congressional Alzheimer's Task Force and the Association is expected in the spring of 2008.
View the press release.


Vote for a CURE FOR ALZHEIMER'S     
Thanks to advocates like you, the Alzheimer's Association CURE FOR ALZHEIMER'S project is in the running to be one of the final five projects in The Members ProjectSM , an American Express initiative that will award up to $5 million to a project selected by cardholders.

You can help even if you don't have an American Express card. Spread the word now by forwarding this e-mail to your family, friends and colleagues, and asking them to make CURE FOR ALZHEIMER'S a national priority by voting for this project.

To vote, here's what you need to do by Sunday, July 22 at 11:59 p.m. (ET) :

  • Visit www.membersproject.com. There are multiple Alzheimer projects listed in the Top 25 so be sure to vote for CURE FOR ALZHEIMER'S .
  • Users who have already registered can search for CURE FOR ALZHEIMER'S or Project ID 01909. You'll be directed to the project details page, where you can click "Vote for this Project" at the top of the page.
  • If you haven't already registered, have your American Express card number ready and go to www.membersproject.com. From there, you'll be asked a series of questions, and after completing them, you'll be able to vote for CURE FOR ALZHEIMER'S .


 

 

Questions? Contact  Jennifer.Zeitzer@alz.org.