Autoimmune Research Plan Gains Support...
Thanks to SSF Member Help
The number of confirmed congressional supporters rallying behind the NIH Autoimmune Diseases Research Plan is growing thanks to the enthusiastic response and hard work of SSF members. Members launched their efforts during SSF's first-ever Capitol Hill Day in April 2003 and were joined by other members around the country who sent letters to their legislators. The Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation and its members continue to need your help urging congressional members to support appropriations language providing funding for the plan.
The NIH Autoimmune Diseases Research Plan marks the first time top experts have gathered to forge the best means for investigating all autoimmune diseases, including Sjögren’s syndrome. The plan addresses autoimmune diseases as an interrelated group and covers four key areas:
- Burden of Autoimmune Disease, including gathering data and creating disease registries
- Etiology, which means looking into the potential causes of autoimmune diseases, including genetic, environmental, and immunological factors
- Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention
- Training, Education and Information Dissemination
SSF Congressional Stars
The NIH research plan was unveiled at a Congressional Briefing in March 2003, for which SSF took a lead role. (See story on the briefing under Advocacy News.) Briefing sponsors who took the lead demonstrating their support for autoimmune research include:
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IO)
Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE)
Senator Richard C. Shelby (R-AL)
Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA)
Representative Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA)
Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Representative Michael Bilirakis (R-FL)
In addition to the above members, the following have sent letters of support to the appropriate Appropriations Committee Chairs:
Senator Byron L. Dorgan (D-ND)
Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Representative Virgil H. Goode, Jr. (R-VA)
Representative Jonny Isakson (R-GA)
Representative Stephen Israel (D-NY)
Representative Peter T. King (R-NY)
Representative Louis Slaughter (D-NY)
And finally, congressional members listed below have expressed support for SSF and the NIH Autoimmune Diseases Research Plan:
Representative Christopher Cox (R-CA)
Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Representative Amory Houghton (R-NY)
Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
Representative Nancy Johnson (D-CT)
SSF members have made the difference by contacting their legislators! Many more legislators have promised their support and willingness to send letters in support of the federal research plan.
YOU CAN STILL HELP!
How? If you see your Congressional Representative or Senator on the above list, be sure to thank them. If their name is not listed, contact them and let SSF know the results. Find your legislators’ e-mail or local office addresses by clicking here: http://www.sjogrens.org/advocacy/representative.html
E-mail or write your congressional members and let them know you want their support for the NIH Autoimmune Diseases Research Plan.
- Ask your legislators to help fund the NIH Autoimmune Diseases Research Plan, so researchers can make progress in developing new treatments for Sjögren’s syndrome and related autoimmune diseases and learning more about potential causes of these devastating disorders.
- Tell them about Sjögren’s syndrome and how it affects your life.
- Request that your legislators send a letter of support to the Chair of the Senate or House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education
- Click here to view a sample letter which you can provide to your congressional members for their use.
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