Excerpt from the December 1996 Parkinson's Action Network "Action Reporter",
an Advocacy Report for the Parkinson's Community-
December 4, 1997
Dear Parkinson's community friend:
"The Parkinson's Action network has been the glue which held the advocacy
community together as we worked to pass the Udall bill. Without the
persistent attention and commitment of this organization, the bill would not
have passed the Senate. PAN's membership brought the human face of
Parkinson's into every Member's office and effectively made the case for
increased research into this debilitating disease. I have great faith in
PAN's ability to complete this effort in the 105th congress."
-U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR)
1996 has been a busy and productive year for Parkinson's advocacy. Our
community has made enormous strides in convincing Members of Congress to
support expanded Parkinson's research. We were rewarded with solid
majorities of both Houses of Congress co-sponsoring the Udall Parkinson's
Research bill, and with unanimous Senate passage of the Udall bill in the
last week of the 1996 congressional session.
We are told that our progress is remarkable, particularly considering
how invisible the Parkinson's community has been in the past But the 1997
agenda must be even more ambitious. We must return to Congress to ensure
that the Udall bill is passed by both Houses and signed into law. We must
ensure that the funds to implement the Udall bill are appropriated and spent.
Meanwhile, we must continue to address related advocacy needs, such as
expedited regulatory approval and reimbursement for emerging therapies.
Why so ambitious? Because we don't have time to waste. One million
Americans are suffering with Parkinson's. We have loved ones facing
intolerable disability and suffering. 60,000 more Americans are diagnosed
each year - ONE EVERY NINE MINUTES.
We ask for your help with the Network's 1997 action agenda. Your
contribution will be well spent: contributions to the Network offer a tremend
ous return on investment, with every dollar of support having the potential
of raising hundreds more for Parkinson's research. Moreover, we remain a
small, efficient and effective operation and stretch our modest budget to the
limit. With your generous year-end gift, our accomplishments will be
multiplied.
Please consider our request and make a tax-deductible donation of $25,
$50, $100 or more. The more you can contribute, the harder we can work.
Help us by giving as generously as you can.
Sincerely,
Brad Udall, Chair
Board of Directors
(303)543-9970
Morton Kondracke, Member
Board of Directors
(202)289-4900
Parkinson's Action Network
800-850-4726
Headquarters:
818 College Ave., Suite C
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
phone 707-544-1994
fax 707-544-2363
email: [log in to unmask]
Washington, DC office
601 13th St. NW., Suite 310
Washington, DC 20005
phone 202-628-2079
fax 202-628-2077
Brad Udall, Chair
Joan I. Samuelson, President
John L. Dodge, Treasurer
Bonnie K. Mioduchoski, Administrator
Michael Claeys, Community Coordinator
The Action Reporter is a free publication of the Parkinson's Action Network,
a non-profit charitable foundation for a cure for Parkinson's. Use of this
material in other publications is welcomed. We ask that the Network be
identified as the source of the material, and notified how, when and where
the material is used. Simply call 800-850-4726
