Please Approve the Committee on Appropriation's Recommendation to Increase 2017 Funding for the National Institutes of Health!

You must enable cookies for this web site to function properly.

We urge you to please lend your voice to CFRI’s effort to support the Committee on Appropriations’ recommendation to increase the 2017 National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget. Earlier this month, the Committee on Appropriations recommended that Senate Bill 3040, which makes appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (including the National Institutes of Health), Education, and other related agencies, be passed without any amendments. SB 3040 would provide $932,211,568,000 in 2017 federal funding, including a $2,000,000 increase for the National Institutes of Health proposed 2017 allocation of $34,084,000,000. The Bill is now on the Senate calendar for discussion and a vote before moving to the House of Representatives for their budget debates.

We encourage you to add your voice and urge the Senate to approve Senate Bill SB 3040 today! By joining us, you give a voice to the CF community on this issue and will be part of a movement to help those with CF. Please send this important message to your senator. The NIH needs a strong budget: there still is no cure for CF.

Recipients

Your Senators

Contact

*Required fields

* Title:

* First Name:

* Last Name:

* Your Email:

* Address 1:

Address 2:

* City:

* State / Province:

* ZIP / Postal Code:

* Phone Number:

1.	Question - Not Required - What is your connection to cystic fibrosis?
2.	Question - Not Required - What are the major issues facing those with CF in your state? (Maximum response 255 chars, approx. 5 rows of text)
3.	Question - Not Required - Do you use social media?

Remember me. What's this?

If you take action and have not already registered, you will receive periodic updates and communications from Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute

Message

Approve the Committee on Appropriations' Recommendation to Increase 2017 Funding for the National Institutes of Health!

Dear [Decision Maker],

We urge you to approve the Committee on Appropriations' recommendation on the $932,211,568,000 2017 federal budget appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (including the National Institutes of Health), Education, and other related agencies. The proposed $34,084,000,000 for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget comes at a critical time when funding for basic science research, in particular for cystic fibrosis, is difficult to obtain. By approving the 2017 appropriations bill, you will enable the NIH - including the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and other programs seeking therapeutic discoveries to support projects that could ultimately lead to a cure for the most common fatal genetic disease in North America. It is vitally important that new therapies be developed to ease the cystic fibrosis community's pain and suffering.

* Personalize your message

I strongly encourage you to support increased 2017 funding for the National Institutes of Health, its National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and programs that provide access to health care. Without the increased 2017 NIH appropriations, our cystic fibrosis community will continue to suffer from this excruciating, progressive, expensive, and deadly disease.

The CF community is often overlooked since this complex disease impacts approximately 30,000 people in the U.S. and is considered a "rare disease" by the federal government, i.e., one that impacts less than 200,000 people in the nation. One in 29 Americans is believed to be a silent carrier of the mutated CF gene that leads to a defective exchange of fluids across cells, causing secretions to clog ducts and passageways in the lungs, pancreas, sinuses, and reproductive systems. The primary cause of death is respiratory failure.

It is heartbreaking that the median age of death for an individual diagnosed with cystic fibrosis is only 29 years.

Those with CF spend hours each day battling to slow the progression of the disease through respiratory therapy, multiple medications, exercise, and at times IV antibiotics and long hospitalizations. Supplemental oxygen becomes part of their regimen when they reach end- stage CF and their lungs are ravaged by the disease. Ultimately, lung transplantation becomes the only option to prolong life, but many do not survive the wait. For those who do receive a transplant, the survival rates remain tragic. New therapeutic drugs have been developed that are effective for many, but for too many others, the drugs are either not effective or their disease is too advanced. Our community needs your support for increased NIH funding to end this deadly vicious cycle.

I am proud to be part of Cystic Fibrosis Research, Incorporated (CFRI) and its efforts to increase federal funding for CF research. CFRI was founded in 1975, when children with CF rarely survived childhood. Based in Palo Alto, CA but with a global reach, CFRI provides vital education and support, promotes awareness, and funds CF research. Please vote to approve the Committee on Appropriation's recommendations to increase the 2017 National Institutes of Health's budget to $34,084,000,000. You can make a difference in the lives of those with CF! Thank you for recognizing the overwhelming challenges of this life-shortening disease and supporting funding to find new therapeutic treatments and a cure.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]