curtweldon: Curt Weldon, The American Diabetes Association Applauds Representative

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Curt Weldon, The American Diabetes Association Applauds Representative
Curt Weldon, The American Diabetes Association Applauds Representative Curt Weldon’s Efforts on NIH Diabetes Research
PRW via Dow Jones

Head of Congressional Diabetes Caucus Garners 266 Members of Congress On Letter to President Clinton
PHILADELPHIA, June 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Diabetes Association today applauded U.S. Representative Curt Weldon (R-PA) for his public policy expertise and leadership capabilities. Weldon recently wrote a letter to President Clinton requesting a significant increase in funding for diabetes research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and was able to get 266 of his colleagues to sign it.
To help combat diabetes, one of the most serious public health problems facing our nation, Weldon has served as Co-chair of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus. It is now the largest Member organization in Congress. Searching for solutions to this problem, Weldon observed the irony that the federal government spends $45 billion a year caring for people once they have diabetes, but spends very little on research to prevent and cure this serious disease.
In 1998, Congress passed legislation establishing a group of experts to examine lost diabetes research opportunities due to the lack of federal funds dedicated to study the disease. From that effort, the National Institutes of Health-selected Diabetes Research Working Group (DRWG) spent a year developing a five-year plan outlining "extraordinary research opportunities" about this crucial problem. The letter to the President, signed by so many of Weldon's colleagues, requests the Administration to allocate the necessary resources at NIH to fully implement this important plan.
The American Diabetes Association salutes Congressman Weldon's efforts that generated this rare show of support from the U.S. House of Representatives. Dr. Ann Albright, Chair of the American Diabetes Association's Government Relations Committee and a member of its National Board of Directors, said, "Representative Weldon has exhibited tremendous leadership in the effort to increase diabetes research funding and thereby reduce the enormous cost to taxpayers due to the treatment and care of diabetes-related complications."
Diabetes is a serious disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls diabetes "the epidemic of our time." It touches upon many other health conditions. Diabetes is a contributing and underlying cause of many of the diseases that the federal government spends the most on in care. For example,
Diabetes is:
--a significant cause of heart disease, which is the nation's leading cause of death and costs our nation $175.3 billion each year;
--a significant cause of stroke; the nation's third leading cause of death that costs our nation $43.3 billion each year;
--the leading cause of kidney disease, which costs our nation $40.3 billion per year and causes people requiring kidney dialysis to go on Medicare;
--the leading cause of adult-onset blindness and lower-limb amputations.
Diabetes alone, independent of the costs for related conditions, costs our nation more than $100 billion a year. The American taxpayer pays approximately $45 billion each year caring for people with diabetes in federal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, and through the Veterans Administration and the Indian Health Service.
"On behalf of the 16 million Americans with diabetes, a disease that crosses gender, race, ethnicity and political party; a disease that is among the most prevalent, debilitating, costly and deadly in our nation; and a disease that is exploding throughout our nation; I want to thank Congressman Weldon for his tireless efforts to make the implementation of the scientific and funding recommendations of the DRWG a reality," said Dr. Albright.
The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the Association has offices in every region of the country, providing services to more than 800 communities. For more information, please call 800-DIABETES or visit its web site at http://www.diabetes.orq.
/CONTACT: Gerry Lynam of American Diabetes Association, 703-299-2061/ 20:34 EDT
7281 06/06/2000 20:34 EDT
Copyright (c) 2000 PR Newswire
Received by NewsEdge Insight: 06/06/2000 20:42:42