Category Archives: USAgainstAlzheimer’s

From the Desk of George Vradenburg: Please Take Action Now

30 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by in Advocacy and Awareness, USAgainstAlzheimer's, Washington

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Dear Friends,

Elected officials in
Washington are playing
games with lifesaving
research.Researchers say we can
end Alzheimer’s in the
next decade, but not
without an investment in
research.Tell Congress that finding
a cure starts now – stop
the cuts to biomedical
research.

While Republicans and Democrats play partisan politics over Obamacare and a government shutdown, their antics are threatening the nation’s commitment to critical Alzheimer’s research. Alzheimer’s research is not just another line item in the budget – you and I both know that it’s the key to ending the years of pain and suffering that families face as they battle this disease.

Draconian budget cuts – known as “the sequester” – went into effect earlier this year and have cut funding for Alzheimer’s research and other programs. Right now, Congress is considering multiple bills to keep the government from shutting down while a longer-term spending bill is negotiated. Unless we put pressure on Congress to stop the sequester, deep cuts to Alzheimer’s research are likely to continue for years to come.

Join thousands of other supporters to speak out before Monday’s budget deadline. We can’t let these cuts become the new normal.

Tell Congress: Quit playing games with the well-being of our loved ones. Stop the sequester and invest in Alzheimer’s research.

A day doesn’t go by without more stories documenting the devastating effects of sequestration’s cuts:

  • The current NIH budget for Alzheimer’s research is down $20 million from the previous year.1 Alzheimer’s is already grossly underfunded, and this reduction wipes out previous modest gains.

  • Some researchers are being forced to take out personal loans to avoid having their labs shut down.2

  • Fewer physician scientists are being trained. One in ten slots were eliminated this past year.3

The story gets even worse: Republicans and Democrats agree that these cuts to research funding are a bad idea. They agree! But this bipartisan consensus is being drowned out by sequester politics.

That’s why it’s so important for constituents like you and me to contact our lawmakers. It’s easy for them to put Alzheimer’s on the back burner unless we mobilize and speak out.

Ask your members of Congress to work out a deal that protects critical research funding. Keep the pressure on right now – before the upcoming budget deadline.

Researchers say with adequate resources we can end Alzheimer’s in the coming decade. We can’t afford to wait. We can’t afford to let these cuts stand.

Thank you for being part of this movement.

Sincerely,

George Vradenburg
Chairman and Co-Founder
USAgainstAlzheimer’s

1. http://blogs.marketwatch.com/encore/2013/07/09/budgeting-for-the-alzheimers-fight/
2. http://fcnp.com/2013/08/21/congressman-morans-news-commentary-sequester-cuts-disrupting-nih-projects/
3. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-biomedical-research,0,6244826.story
More than 350 leading Alzheimer’s researchers agree that we can prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s by 2025 – and it could even be sooner if critical investments and reforms are made. We must SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE funding for Alzheimer’s research in the next 5 years and we must DRAMATICALLY SHRINK the time it takes to get new, safe therapies to market.USAgainstAlzheimer’s is a community of enraged and engaged individuals who have been touched by Alzheimer’s disease and are committed to achieving the bold and attainable goal of ending Alzheimer’s.

Friday Potpourri

27 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by in Advocacy and Awareness, Books, Caregivers, Children and ALZ, Events, Giveaways, Helpful Resources, Inspiration, Support system, USAgainstAlzheimer's, World ALZ Month

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heroJust a couple of tidbits that may be of interest…

From Ginny Biggar of USA2:

Please join me on Thursday, October 3 from 12-1 pm Eastern time for the next ActivistsAgainstAlzheimer’s Network conference call focused on Personal Stories. I may be familiar to some of you. For those that don’t know me, I’m the director of the Activists Network at USAgainstAlzheimer’s. I work with individuals around the country who are coping with Alzheimer’s every day.

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Part of my focus is listening to the stories that you and others tell about how Alzheimer’s is affecting your lives. Telling these stories is a critical way we can raise awareness about Alzheimer’s.

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