Urgent Request for Action in Senate

[Guest guest]

> Arthritis Foundation Advocacy Network

> Action Alert !

>

> Urgent Request for Action in Senate

>

> Advocates are asked to contact their U.S. Senators to build Senate 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 Senators hear from you before June 7.

>

> Please ask your Senators to co-sign a letter being led by Senator Jean

Carnahan (D-MO) to the Senate 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 Senators who agree to send a letter, the

more powerful it will be in influencing the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee

to provide the funding.

>

> ACTION REQUESTED:

> Call or send emails to your Senators> '> offices and ask them to sign the

Carnahan letter. Your Senators need to know that families and advocates in

their state care about the CDC> '> s arthritis program.

>

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

>

> * To send an email, click on 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 Carnahan letter. An email is already written for

your use.

>

> * To call your Senators> '> offices, you may contact the Capitol

Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Senator> '> s

office. Once you are connected to the 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 (city, state). I (or someone you

know) have/has 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 Senator have

done.

>

> 3) I'm calling today because Senator Carnahan is circulating a letter

in the U.S. Senate that will go to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee

requesting funding for the arthritis program at CDC.

>

> 4) I'd really like for Senator _______ 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 Sandy Fried (pronounced > " > freed>

" > ) in Senator Carnahan's office at 202-224-6154.

>

> 7) If the Senator is interested in co-signing a letter, please do so by June

7.

>

> 8) 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 Senator 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 one of your Senators serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee the

letter is addressed to, they may be reluctant to sign onto the Carnahan letter.

If so, ask them to simply support the funding level when it is considered by the

Subcommittee. The Senators who serve on the Labor, HHS, Appropriations

Subcommittee are:

>

> Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-PA)

> Ernest Hollings (D-SC) Thad Cochran (R-MS)

> Inouye (D-HI) Judd Gregg (R-NH)

> Harry Reid (D-NV) Larry Craig (R-ID)

> Herbert Kohl (D-WI) Kay Hutchison (R-TX)

> Patty Murray (D-WA) Ted s (R-AK)

> Landrieu (D-LA) Mike DeWine (R-OH)

> Byrd (D-WV)

>

> To look-up your Senators, 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 36 state health departments to develop or enhance programs to improve

the quality of life of persons affected by arthritis. Twenty-eight 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.

>

> Core grant states (funded at approximately $320,000)

>

> Alabama

> California

> Florida

> Georgia

> Illinois

> Minnesota

> Missouri

> Utah

>

> Establishment grant states (funded at approximately $120,000)

>

> Alaska

> Arizona

> Arkansas

> Colorado

> Connecticut

> Idaho

> Indiana

> Iowa

> Kansas

> Kentucky

> land

> Michigan

> Nebraska

> Nevada

> New Mexico

> New York

> North Carolina

>

> Ohio

> Oklahoma

> Oregon

> Pennsylvania

> Rhode Island

> South Carolina

> Tennessee

> Texas

> Vermont

> Virginia

> Wisconsin

>

>

> McBride

> Vice President, Public Policy & Advocacy

> Arthritis Foundation

>