NIH Letter: Senate
Date
The Honorable Arlen Specter
Chairman of the Appropriation Labor HHS Subcommittee
Washington, D.C. 20510
OR
The Honorable Tom Harkin
Ranking Member of the Appropriation Labor HHS Subcommittee
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear (Chairman Specter OR Ranking Member Harkin):
I am writing to ask you to take the next step forward towards fighting a fatal disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). What makes ALS unique compared to most other diseases is that there is no known cause, cure or prevention. There is hope, however, and we can capitalize on it with your assistance, particularly as (Chairman OR Ranking Member) of the Appropriations Labor HHS Subcommittee.
ALS, more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disorder that occurs when motor nerve cells cease to function and die. While in most cases a person's mind remains sharp and alert, voluntary muscle control becomes completely lost, often resulting in paralysis.
I am asking that you champion an increase in funding in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget in fiscal year 2004 by 8% - 10% for ALS within the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and allow NINDS to coordinate, and collaborate on, ALS research with other appropriate NIH Institutes, particularly the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
In FY'02, NIH spent an estimated $30 million on ALS-related research. This research is done primarily through the NINDS. NIH plays the major role in maintaining the preeminence of the United States in biotechnology and provides worldwide leadership in health research and discovery. The ALS Association recognizes that new discoveries and breakthroughs could come from any area of biomedical research and could apply to our primary concern - finding effective treatments, and eventually a cure, for ALS. Therefore, we encourage Congress to focus on NIH as a whole, and particularly NINDS, knowing that a well-funded research enterprise will benefit all of us.
We thank you for your previous support of our cause and we hope that we can continue to count on you to help us fight this terrible disease.
Sincerely,
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