The Honorable Mitch McConnell
United State Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator McConnell:
The undersigned organizations, which represent patients and their families, scientists, healthcare providers, and industry, strongly urge you to vote to adopt the conference report accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2673) when the Senate re-convenes on January 20.
This nation's investment in medical research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has helped save lives, reduce human suffering and strengthen our economic base. But continued medical progress will be jeopardized unless the Senate passes the conference report accompanying H.R. 2673.
Chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and Alzheimer's continue to claim the lives of millions of Americans each year, wasting precious human resources and draining billions of dollars from the nation's economy. Infectious agents such as West Nile Virus, SARS and hepatitis C, along with the ever-present risk of bioterrorism, represent serious threats to our society. Without your support:
- $1 billion for life-saving research to find ways to cure or prevent disease will be lost;
- the quest for more effective diagnostic tools and treatments will be slowed; and
- America's standing in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical marketplace will be diminished.
While this bill falls short of what the nation needs to invest in medical research, given what is at stake, we strongly urge you to vote for passage of the conference report accompanying H.R. 2673. Now is not the time to retreat from this nation's commitment to improving the health and well-being of all Americans.
Sincerely,
Academic Health Centers Clinical Research Forum
Academy of Radiology Research
Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Funding
Administrators of Internal Medicine
Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine
Alliance for Aging Research
Alliant International University
Alpha-1 Association
Alpha-1 Foundation
Alzheimer's Association
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI)
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Academy of Dermatology Association
American Academy of Ophthalmology
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association for Dental Research
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
American Association of Immunologists
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI)
American College of Clinical Pharmacology
American College of Clinical Pharmacy
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
The American College of Obstetricians And Gynecologists
American College of Radiology Association
American College of Rheumatology
American College of Surgeons
American Dental Education Association
American Federation for Medical Research (AFMR)
American Foundation for AIDS Research
American Gastroenterological Association
American Heart Association
American Liver Foundation
American Occupational Therapy Association
American Osteopathic Association
American Pediatric Society
American Physiological Society
American Psychiatric Association
American Psychological Association
American Psychological Society
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
American Society for Cell Biology
American Society for Clinical Nutrition
American Society for Clinical Oncology
American Society for Investigative Pathology
American Society for Microbiology
American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
American Society for Reproductive Medicine
American Society for Virology
American Society of Hematology
American Society of Nephrology
American Society of Pediatric Nephrology
American Sociological Association
American Thoracic Society
American Tinnitus Association
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
Association of Academic Department of Otolaryngology (AADO)
Association of Academic Health Centers
Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of American Universities
Association of Departments of Family Medicine
Association of General Clinical Research Centers Program Directors
Association of Independent Research Institutes
Association of Medical School Microbiology and Immunology Chairs
Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs
Association of Minority Health Professions Schools
Association of Population Centers
Association of Professors of Medicine
Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine
Association of Subspecialty Professors
Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Baylor College of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine
Boys Town National Research Hospital
Campaign for Medical Research
CARES Foundation, Inc.
Carmel Hill Center at Columbia Child Psychiatry
Cedars-Sinai Health System
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation
Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine
Coalition for American Trauma Care
Coalition for Health Services Research
Coalition for the Advancement of Health Through Behavioral and Social Science Research
College on Problems of Drug Dependence
Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals
Consortium of Social Science Associations
Cooley's Anemia Foundation
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
Development Disabilities Research Centers Association
Digestive Disease National Coalition
Duke University Medical Center
Duke University School of Medicine
Dystonia Medical Research Foundation
EAS, Inc.
The Endocrine Society
Federation of America Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)
Federation of Behavioral, Psychological, and Cognitive Sciences
First Candle/Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Alliance
Foundation for Ichthyosis and Related Skin Types
Fraxa Research Foundation, Inc.
Friends of NICHD
Friends of the National Institute for Dental and Cranial Facial Research
Friends of the National Library of Medicine
The Gerontological Society of America
Hemophilia Federation of America
Hepatitis Foundation International
Immune Deficiency Foundation
Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
The Jeffrey Modell Foundation
Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
The Joint Steering Committee for Public Policy
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
Lymphoma Research Foundation
March of Dimes
Medical Library Association
Morehouse School of Medicine
Mount Sinai Medical Center
NASPE-Heart Rhythm Society
NF Inc - Mass Bay Area
National Alliance for Autism Research
National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR)
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR)
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges
The National Center for Learning Disabilities
The National Coalition for Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases
National Council Family Relations
National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasias
The National Fragile X Foundation
National Health Council
National Hemophilia Foundation
National Kidney Foundation
National Mental Health Association
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
NephCure Foundation
Neuropathy Association
New York Medical College
New York University School of Medicine
The Ohio State University Medical Center
Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation
The Paget Foundation for Paget's Disease of Bone and Related Disorders
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN)
Parkinson's Action Network
Penn State College of Medicine
Population Association of America
The Protein Society
Pulmonary Hypertension Association
PXE International and Genetic Alliance
Research!America
Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation
The Society for Investigative Dermatology
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Society for Neuroscience
Society for Pediatric Research
Society for Research in Child Development
Society for Women's Health Research
Society of Toxicology
Spina Bifida Association of America
TeenScreen
Teratology Society
Texas NF Foundation
Tourette Syndrome Association
Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Arizona Health Sciences
University of California, San Diego
University of Florida Health Science Center
University of Michigan Health System
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Pennsylvania Health System
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
University of Wisconsin Madison
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Wake Forest University School of Medicine