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-- [ From: Seymour Gross * EMC.Ver #2.5.3 ] -- To All List Members, In view of the recent dialogue concerning what is perceived by many to be a lack of unity among the Parkinson's organizations, I thought you would be interested in the following. I recently attended a talk given by Dr. Art Caplan, Director of the Dept . of Bio Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, who was an advocate for the Udall bill. Afterwards, we spoke briefly of the efforts that need to be expended now to actually get monies appropriated. He said that if we got a letter to him he would see to it that, via a friend, it is given to Vice-President Gore. I passed this information on to Jim Cordy and it was presented to the steering committee, which as you know, includes representatives of the Parkinson's organizations, in an attempt to get as much organizational unity and support for a joint letter to the Vice President as possible. In an example of a collaborative undertaking, Bill Turenne, Jr. of NPF, and Michael Claeys of PAN drafted the following letter which is addressed to Vice President Gore. The letterhead reads, "A Joint Statement From National Parkinson Foundation, Parkinson's Disease Foundation, Parkinson's Action Network." The letter is signed by Lawrence S. Hoffheimer, NPF; Lewis P. Rowland, M.D., PDF; and Joan I. Samuelson, PAN. The text is as follows: "As President Clinton prepares his fiscal year 1999 budget request, we, the representatives of the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF), the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) and the Parkinson's Action Network (PAN) urge you to impress upon him the importance of providing the resources necessary to fully fund the provisions of the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research Act of 1997. "On November 13, 1997, the President signed the Udall Act into law as part of H.R. 2264, the 1998 Labor, Health and Education Appropriations bill. For the first time in history, the federal government has recognized the enormous human and fiscal costs of Parkinson's disease, acknowledged the tremendous research potential and acted to specifically increase our national research investment. But more needs to be done. "On behalf of the over one million Americans who live with Parkinson's disease, we hope you will use your influence during development of the Administration's 1999 budget request to include sufficient resources and a specific directive to fully fund the $100 million in Parkinson's- focused research authorized by the Udall Act. "Enclosed is a background information sheet on the history of the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research Act of 1997, along with a list of congressional cosponsors that is a testament to the widespread bipartisan support this measure has enjoyed. "Thank you for your interest and attention to this important matter, and please do not hesitate to call on any of us for information regarding any aspect of Parkinson's disease." This letter was delivered to Dr. Caplan on Monday, December 22. My thanks to NPF, PDF, and PAN for agreeing to this joint effort which can only benefit the Parkinson's community. Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year, Dolores Gross [log in to unmask]