07.19.15 IMPORTANT UPDATE: The Alzheimer’s Disease Semipostal Stamp has been reintroduced as part of the Alzheimer’s Action Act. If passed, this would allow for the voluntary purchase of a stamp that would raise funds for critically needed research. Please write or call YOUR representatives and urge them to Help Stamp OUT Alzheimer’s by co-sponsoring HR 3092!

Big news today from Washington!!

Our sincere appreciation goes to Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa) as he officially declares his support for the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Semipostal Stamp.

According to a press release issued today, Senator Toomey had this to say about the proposed bill.

This is a simple but effective way to help raise funds to research a cure for Alzheimer’s. Most people I meet are familiar with the disease. But they might not know just how widespread it is in our state. Pennsylvania has the fifth most people suffering from Alzheimer’s in the nation.

This is a truly tragic illness that robs its victims of one of their life’s greatest possessions – their memories. Working together with my colleagues in Congress, I am committed to fighting this disease and finding a cure.

The news has been ablaze this past week regarding the recent Rush University Medical Center study which found deaths from Alzheimer’s Disease could number up to SIX times previously report numbers. According to the study, it’s likely that over 500,000 Americans die from AD and related forms of dementia every year, a number exponentially higher than the 84,000 reported in 2010. This makes Alzheimer’s and other dementias the THIRD leading cause of death in our country, behind only cancer and heart disease.

Let’s take advantage of this increased press as well as the news of Senator Toomey’s commitment announced today! This is the time to create even more buzz, and here’s how you can help! 

Help Stamp Out Alzheimer’s

Tell Congress we want a fundraising stamp for Alzheimer’s research!

Please call the US Capitol Switchboard @ 202-224-3121 & ask YOUR representatives to COSPONSOR H.R.1508 (House) & S.1091 (Senate): To provide for the issuance of an Alzheimer’s Disease Research Semipostal Stamp.

If you don’t know the names of your representatives, you can get that information, as well as the direct line to their offices, by clicking HERE.

As we all know, Alzheimer’s is one of the greatest and most costly medical & social problems facing our nation today. It’s a cruel and always fatal disease, and exacts a tremendous physical, emotional, and financial toll from all it touches. Our only hope of stopping it is to find varied & innovative ways to fund RESEARCH!

The proposed legislation for an Alzheimer’s Disease Research Semipostal is one such way. Quite simply, this legislation would direct the USPS to design & issue a postage stamp that would raise awareness and crucial funds for Alzheimer’s research.

And it is does this WITHOUT increasing taxes, discretionary spending or the deficit. Like the popular & successful Breast Cancer Research Semipostal which has raised over $77.6 million for breast cancer research, the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Semipostal would cost a few cents more than regular first class postage, with the extra funds going to the National Institutes of Health to fund research for better treatments, prevention, and – the ultimate prize – a CURE for Alzheimer’s & related disorders.

We can end Alzheimer’s disease without losing another generation, but not without your help! Unless we recruit the majority of our representatives to step up & sign on to this legislation, this measure will fail.

So please call TODAY! It’s easy. Follow these steps:

1. Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be put through to their offices.

2. Once you reach the lawmaker’s office, ask to speak with his or her Health Legislative Aid,  then use these talking points.

3. Provide your name & let them know that you are a constituent in their state/district.

4. Let them know that Alzheimer’s is now recognized as the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States; that there are currently 5.4 million Americans with Alzheimer’s, and 15.4 million unpaid caregivers. These numbers are expected to triple over the next decade. American families and taxpayers now spend $200 billion per year caring for those with Alzheimer’s and within ten years time, more than $2 trillion will have been spent on care for those with Alzheimer’s. Our only hope at changing these figures is to vigorously fund research.

5. Ask your Senators/representative to COSPONSOR H.R.1508 (House) & S.1091 (Senate): To provide for the issuance of an Alzheimer’s Disease Research Semipostal Stamp. Passage of this bill would raise awareness of the enormity of this health crisis AND help fund research WITHOUT increasing taxes, discretionary spending or the deficit. The semipostal would, in fact, provide much needed cost neutral additional revenue for dementia research.

6. Share your personal reasons for asking this.

Thank you for taking awareness to the next step: to ACTION! Together we can – and will – make a difference!