Tag Archives: alzheimers research

The Time is NOW: Raise Your Voice to Washington

15 Friday Nov 2013

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

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usa2_logo_email_headerDear Friends….

Leading researchers believe we can stop Alzheimer’s by 2025 if sufficient funding is allocated to Alzheimer’s research.

Congress is hammering out the details of the 2014 budget right now and we must convince them to prioritize biomedical research funding before it is too late.

The deep budget cuts – known as “sequestration” – that went into effect earlier this year are slowing efforts to find the cause of Alzheimer’s and to develop effective treatments and therapies to slow, modify, stop, and eventually prevent it.

The NIH’s 2013 budget has already been cut by $1.55 billion and, unless we can convince Congress to change course now, even more drastic cuts will be made in 2014 that will mean fewer research grants and delayed progress in medical breakthroughs.1

Some researchers are being forced to take out personal loans to keep their labs open – a practice that is clearly unsustainable.2

labpicThe budget cuts also mean that fewer research scientists are being trained – we’ve already lost one out of every ten MD-PhD training slots due to sequestration.3

Congress will be trying to reach an agreement on the budget in the next two to three weeks. This blueprint would set spending levels, and without adequate room for biomedical research and other programs, increased funding for Alzheimer’s research will be unlikely.

You and I both know that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Taking just a minute to  raise your voice now will help ensure that our call for Alzheimer’s research funding can be heard in the halls of Congress.

Click here to ask your members of Congress to reverse the devastating cuts and invest more in biomedical research in the budget they’re creating right now.

Thank you again for raising your voice to stop this devastating disease from claiming more lives and destroying more families.

1. http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jun2013/nih-03.htm
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

Call to Action

09 Wednesday Oct 2013

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

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usa2_logo_email_headerThe government shutdown has officially halted new federal investment in
Alzheimer’s research. But we can’t afford to waste a moment more
finding a cure for Alzheimer’s.

Please don’t delay!
Ask your members of Congress to end the shutdown now.

It takes less than 30 seconds…click HERE.

And when you’re done, share this link and ask your friends to do the same!

http://actions.usagainstalzheimers.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12187

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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usa2_logo_email_header

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.