Greetings to all of our friends!
As the year 2000 ends, we want to thank you for your interest in the
Parkinson's Disease Foundation -- and report to you about our
remarkable progress in three vital areas during the past year:
* Research
* Advocacy
* Collaboration
We hope you read on for more details about this ground-breaking work!
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PDF is a non-profit organization that depends on tax-deductible
contributions. If you would like to make a donation to help fight the
devastating consequences of Parkinson's, please visit our website.
If you donate online, we'll send you a free copy of our most recent
newsletter by mail as a thank you. Click here:
https://www.pdf.org/giving/
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RESEARCH: HELPING TO FUND THE SEARCH FOR A CURE
PDF now leads Parkinson's research in two of the country's three top
metropolitan areas. Our 1999 merger with the Chicago-based United
Parkinson's Foundation (UPF) gave us a strong scientific and
financial relationship with Rush Presbyterian Medical Center, which
has one of the nation's leading movement disorders programs.
The number of gifts we received in 2000 for Parkinson's research rose
by more than 100%! We were also able to increase the scale of our
International Research Grants Program three-fold -- from $175,000 to
$600,000.
ADVOCATING FOR INCREASED GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
PDF has been a leader in the drive to create a Parkinson's Research
Agenda in Congress and at the National Institutes of Health. PD
scientists are targeting 19 areas ripe for new research and
projecting a 50% to 100% rise in federal expenditures on PD research
in 2001 -- an increase of $71.4 million.
We also sponsored and publicized studies to document gaps in the
availability and financing of services to people who suffer from
Parkinson's. One study showed that barely a third of people with
Parkinson's receive the services of a qualified movement disorders
specialist.
We're working to make sure that all people with Parkinson's get the
medical help they need!
COLLABORATION: WORKING WITH OTHERS WHO CARE
This was also a year of close collaboration with other organizations
that are engaged in PD and related health causes:
* The American Academy of Neurology. PDF now plays a key role in
their national brain awareness campaign.
* Community Health Charities. PDF is represented on their national
and New York State boards of directors, representing the concerns of
Parkinson's sufferers.
*The American Society for Neuroscience. We sponsored a major
Parkinson's session at their 2000 Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Its
purpose: to recruit more scientists to the study of PD.
* National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
I personally serve on the Institute's Parkinson's Disease
Implementation Committee -- which monitors the progress of the
government's five-year plan for PD research.
* The Parkinson's Study Group, a national consortium of leading
university research centers. PDF sponsored two major collaborative
projects with the Group this year.
We feel proud of the critical progress we've made this year. Whether
in supporting research, or striving for an informed Congress, PDF is
in the forefront. But too many people suffer from Parkinson's ...
and too many are still not getting the help they need.
In the New Year we will be communicating with you more regularly via
email with updates on new research and other matters that would be of
interest. Stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Robin Anthony Elliott
Executive Director
http://www.pdf.org
