Fwd: Arthritis Foundation Action Alert

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Begin forwarded message:

> From: " Richter, Dana " <DRichter@...>

> Date: Tue Apr 30, 2002 07:48:19 PM US/Eastern

> Subject: Arthritis Foundation Action Alert

> Reply-Advocacy <Advocacy@...>

>

> Arthritis Foundation Advocacy Network

> Action Alert !

>

> Urgent Request for Action in House

>

> Advocates are asked to contact their U.S. Representative to build

> Congressional support for the $24.5 million funding request for the

> arthritis program at the

> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

>

> It is important that your Representative hears from you before May 7.

>

> Representatives are being encouraged to co-sign a letter being led by

> Representative Butch Otter (R-ID) and Rick Larsen (D-WA) to the House

> Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and

> Education (Labor-HHS) in support of $24.5 million for the CDC's

> arthritis program. The more Representatives who agree to send a letter,

> the more powerful it will be in moving the House Appropriations

> Subcommittee to provide the funding.

>

> ACTION REQUESTED:

> Your calls or emails to your Representative's office can be instrumental

> to driving signatures on the request letter to the Subcommittee. Your

> Representative needs to know that families and advocates in their state

> care about this CDC effort and are aware of their position on the

> funding request.

>

> Please take a few minutes to email or call your Representative.

>

> * To send an email, click on www.arthritis.org

> <http://www.arthritis.org> and click on Contact Congress in the bottom

> left hand corner. Enter your zip code, click on your representative,

> and select the Otter/Larsen letter.

>

> * To reach your Representative's office, you may contact the

> Capitol Switchboard at 202-225-3121. Once you are in the right office,

> ask the receptionist if you can speak to the health care legislative

> assistant. You can make the following points in your conversation:

>

> 1) My name is ______ and I live/work in _________. I (or someone you

> know) live/s with arthritis.

>

> 2) Congress was really helpful to us last year in securing $13.9

> million for the arthritis program at the CDC. We appreciate what you

> and the Representative have done.

> 3) I'm calling today because Representatives Butch Otter and Rick

> Larsen are circulating a letter in the House of Representatives that

> will go to the House Appropriations Subcommittee requesting funding for

> the arthritis program at CDC.

>

> 4) I'd really like for Representative _______ to sign on to that

> letter.

>

> 5) This money is critical to the continued success of the program and

> to help expand our local efforts here in the state of

> . Because arthritis is the leading cause of disability in our country,

> we have to do what we can to prevent, treat, and control the

> socioeconomic impacts of this disease.

>

> 6) If you are interested, you can contact one or both of the following

> staffers -

>

> Heiner, Representative Butch Otter's office

> (202-225-6611)

> Clare Dowling, Representative Rick Larsen's office

> (202-225-2605)

>

> 7) If the Representative is interested in co-signing a letter, please

> do so by May 7 as they want to get this letter to the Committee by the

> May 9th deadline.

>

> 6) Thank you for taking my call. I appreciate your time and work on

> behalf of people living with arthritis in the state of

> . May I call you back in few days to see what the Representative has

> decided?

>

> ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

> If you get voice mail, feel free to leave your message, but leave your

> name and phone number at the beginning.

>

> Finally, if your Representative serves on the Appropriations

> Subcommittee the letter is addressed to, they may be reluctant to sign

> onto the Otter/Larsen letter. If so, ask them to simply support the

> request in subcommittee. The Representatives who serve on the Labor,

> HHS, Appropriations Subcommittee are:

>

> Ralph Regula, Chairman (R-OH) Obey, Ranking Member

> (D-WI)

> Bill Young (R-FL) Steny Hoyer

> (D-MD)

> Ernest Istook (R-OK) Pelosi

> (D-CA)

> Dan (R-FL) Nita Lowey

> (D-NY)

> Wicker (R-MS) DeLauro

> (D-CT)

> Anne Northup (R-KY) , Jr.

> (D-IL)

> Randy " Duke " Cunningham (R-CA) Kennedy (D-RI)

> Kay Granger (R-TX)

> (R-PA)

> Don Sherwood (R-PA)

> To look-up your Representative, please access the Advocacy section of

> the Arthritis Foundation's web site at www.arthritis.org or call the

> Office of Public Policy and Advocacy at 202-537-5471. If you have any

> questions email advocacy@... <mailto:advocacy@...>

>

> Thank you very much for your support of this important effort.

>

>

> BACKGROUND:

> In FY 2002, Congress provided $13.9 million to the CDC to continue

> implementation of the National Arthritis Action Plan (NAAP). This

> breakthrough public health initiative-developed by the CDC, Arthritis

> Foundation, and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials-is

> improving the quality of life for 43 million Americans living with

> arthritis, and reducing the $82.5 billion annual economic cost to our

> society for medical care and lost wages resulting from the disease.

>

> Under the NAAP, the CDC and the Arthritis Foundation have partnered with

> state health departments in the fight against arthritis. The program

> currently supports 29 state health departments to develop or enhance

> programs to improve the quality of life of persons affected by

> arthritis. Twenty-one states currently receive $120,000 each per year

> and eight states receive $320,000 each. To continue the expansion and

> success of this initiative, the Arthritis Foundation is asking Congress

> to provide the CDC $24.5 million in FY 2003.

>

> Dana R. Richter

> Director, Policy Research

> Arthritis Foundation

> 4455 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 305

> Washington, DC 20008

>

>