Action Alert: Act now to help add $400 million to Alzheimer’s research
More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, and every 66 seconds, someone in the United States develops the disease. Yet many of us, including some members of Congress, still don’t know that Alzheimer’s takes a devastating financial toll — not just on those with the disease but on families and the national economy.
This is why we need you to add your voice: Ask Congress to continue to make Alzheimer’s research a priority by providing at least an additional $400 million in federal funding in fiscal year 2017.
The Alzheimer’s Association has a successful history of bringing people together to tackle the challenge of Alzheimer’s disease. Our advocate network, together with the Association and support from friends like you, has helped us win many critical public policy victories.
Last year, we invited advocates to participate in a historic effort to urge lawmakers to increase Alzheimer’s research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Our hard work paid off: We won the largest-ever annual increase — a nearly 60 percent jump.
But we still have a long way to go. Even with that increase, the commitment continues to fall far short of the need. In 2012, an expert panel of scientists concluded that $2 billion in annual Alzheimer’s research funding is necessary to achieve breakthroughs in developing preventions and effective treatments for the disease by 2025.
In order to achieve annual research milestones to both prevent future cases of Alzheimer’s disease and to better meet the needs of the millions of American families currently facing this disease, the NIH must have the necessary research funding. Please join us today and urge Congress to continue its commitment to the fight against Alzheimer’s disease by providing at least an additional $400 million in NIH funding in fiscal year 2017.