5 Million Americans Need 5 Minutes of Your Time

[jshearer]

The National Psoriasis Foundation, for the first time ever, is launching a nationwide letter-writing campaign. We need your help to educate Congress about the importance of federal funding of psoriasis research.

If research for a cure is important to you, please take a few minutes to spread the word. Our powerful new Action Center makes it easy to make your voice heard! It will take less than five minutes to contact your representative and two senators in Congress on behalf of the more than five million Americans diagnosed with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis.

Take Action Now! (http://capwiz.com/psoriasis/issues/alert/?alertid=7318706&type=CO)

And feel free to share the (optional) "personal story" that you include in your letters to Congress on this thread.

Thanks,
Joey

PS-Once you click on the link, please take advantage of the feature that allows you to spread this message to friends and family.

[Patchsigns]

Joey, you can't make it any easier for us...

It takes so little time to do. And it benefits us. Please, I urge all of you to take just 5 minutes of your time to make a difference!!


Blessings,
Joe

[linda77]

5 min. is really all it takes...why havent more of you replyed?..i"m surprised about that

[MikeK]

I agree. Five minutes is all it took.

Thanks, everyone.

Mike

[makeitgoaway]

Bump - this should be a stickey thread!

[rosy3939]

Joey,

I totally agree with Steve This has to be a sticky. People need to know it there when then log onto the boards.

Mitch

[MikeK]

Bump - this should be a stickey thread!


Joey,

I totally agree with Steve This has to be a sticky. People need to know it there when then log onto the boards.

Mitch

Ditto!!!!!!!

[ladybloede]

Sent. I have only heard back from one of my reps from the last letters I sent in February...squeaky wheel gets the grease, right? :p


mari

P.S. This is incredibly easy to do!

[nitegale]

Hoping that all of you attending Capitol Hill Day and writing letters will be successful.

One by one
You'll hear their stories
Their plights and struggles
Made to order

In evey hall
And every corridor
An emotional song
Will capture the hearts
Of many who've been wrong

From New York to California
They will get an earful
Of struggles and burdens
And many are tearful

Let's hope they will listen
And come to a conclusion
That this dreadful disease
Deserves more inclusion!

Good Luck!
Marie :)

[Gunnyhwy1]

What a great way to reach help! I sent mine to my Missouri reps. Thank you so much!

[Gunnyhwy1]

There has to be a way to make this thread stand out above all others. Joey I commend! Nothing could have been easier.

[littleangel]

**bump** :D

[dkfz]

I am here because I received the email. The question was "Is a cure for psoriasis important to you?" My answer is NO, it is not important. Why? Because I will not be able to afford it. I am currently living with SEVERE psoriasis, and taking no medication. Why? I do not have health insurance. So if there every is a "cure" I won't be able to afford it anyway. Psoriasis research is underfunded. That does not surprise me in the least. Taking into consideration the priorities of the current administration I expect this situation will get WORSE, not improve.

[mron73]

I wrote to the senators about the need for more funding for research for P. It felt great. I also forwarded the link to my friends and family. The more the merrier!

[jshearer]

As of 8:55am Pacific Daylight Time, more than 3,000 letters to Congress have been sent through the National Psoriasis Foundation Web site.

Keep up the great work! If you have not already participated in this letter-writing campaign, please do so. And spread the word to friends and family.

TAKE ACTION NOW! (http://capwiz.com/psoriasis/issues/alert/?alertid=7318706&type=CO)

And stay tuned for further updates...

Thanks,
Joey

[MikeK]

I am here because I received the email. The question was "Is a cure for psoriasis important to you?" My answer is NO, it is not important. Why? Because I will not be able to afford it. I am currently living with SEVERE psoriasis, and taking no medication. Why? I do not have health insurance. So if there every is a "cure" I won't be able to afford it anyway. Psoriasis research is underfunded. That does not surprise me in the least. Taking into consideration the priorities of the current administration I expect this situation will get WORSE, not improve.Hi Dkfz,

Welcome to the Board! :cool: Nice to meet you. I'm sorry to hear that you're going through such a rough time.

I just posted a copy of your introduction to us in a brand new thread. (Here's a link to it: http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14124.) I figured that you would get a better response that way. I included some links to some assistance programs that hopefully will be helpful to you. I also gave you some suggestions for some over the counter suggestions that may also be useful to you.

Hope this helps.

Mike

[mdlipay]

I took the 5 minutes, but I don't think it will make much difference. It is more profitable to sell treatments than cures; more profitable to sell cures than vaccines. A recent article, 50th annicversary of the Salk vaccine, said this is why there is more research going into finding cures for viral diseases than vaccines.

[jshearer]

Just wanted to let everyone know that a press release about the letter-writing campaign and Capitol Hill Day that we sent out is on Yahoo.

You can find it here. (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050414/sfth120.html?.v=1)

We had about 4,800 letters written in the first 48 hours after we sent out the email Action Alert to our Members and friends.

If you have friends or family who would write letters, please email them the link to our Web site (www.psoriasis.org) and ask them to join us in asking Congress to increase funding for psoriasis research.

The basic research that happens at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases will lead to a better understanding of the genetics and mechanism of the disease. In turn, this will lead to better treatments and, eventually, a cure.

Taking action through our letter-writing campaign is quick, easy, and effective. Please spread the word to friends and family.

Thanks,
Joey

[jshearer]

We just hit 6000 letters! If you have not yet contacted your representative and two senators, please click the link below my signature.

Thanks,
Joey

[PamelaJo]

Thank you for contacting my office regarding health care
concerns. I appreciate hearing from you.

As Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, it is
essential that I remain fully informed in all areas of health care
policy. During the 109th Congress, we will continue to debate
various health issues, such as the complex question of managed
health care and the Federal role in its regulation and historic
reforms to the Medicare program, including the development of a
prescription drug benefit for seniors. Among my top legislative
priorities this Congress is the continued fight for necessary
increases in funding for all aspects of biomedical research within
the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease
Control, and ensuring the appropriate examination and refinement
of the vital public health programs administered by the Federal
government.

Again, I appreciate your taking the time to bring your
views on this issue to my attention. Your input is vital as I
continue to press for targeted health care reform and urge
Congressional leadership to make this reform a top priority. If you
have any further questions on this issue or any related matter,
please do not hesitate to contact me or visit my website, at
http://specter.senate.gov.

[Kimbercat]

Wow, PamelaJo! :cool:

That's awesome! Senator Specter is definitely a driving force in channeling funding in the direction we would like to see it go. I'm so glad his office took the time to respond to you. I hope we get more stories like yours! :)

[jen_jen23]

I just wanted to post to say that I sent out my letters, both in e-mail and in letter form. I don't like to be overlooked! I also sent the link to all of my friends and family.

After writing to my Congressman in AZ I received the following response:

Dear Ann Marie:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the funding for the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). I appreciate hearing about issues that are of concern to you.

The President's funding request for NIAMS has increased by 16 percent over the past four years. For Fiscal Year 2006, the President's Budget calls for $513 million, which is a $2 million increase over the previous year's level. The Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education has jurisdiction over NIAMS funding. While I do not sit on this subcommittee, I am a member of the Appropriations Committee, I will certainly keep your views in mind.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts on this issue. I hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,
Jim Kolbe
Member of Congress


I will follow up with Congressman Kolbe. I hope that all of you who have been writing letters are getting responses. If not, write again.

Annie

[jen_jen23]

After writing to my senator, I recieved the folowing response:

Dear Mrs. Halstead:

Thank you for writing to me in support of
increased federal funding for medical research.
I appreciate hearing from you about this
important issue, and I share your views about the
importance and urgency of finding better ways to
treat diseases.

Medical research has led to tremendous
advances in our ability to understand, diagnose,
cure, and prevent diseases. I strongly believe
that research is an invaluable tool for
discovering lifesaving treatments, and it helps
to provide better, more accessible, and more
affordable health care for all Americans.

For this reason, I was a strong advocate of
doubling federal funding for the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), which conducts and
supports medical research on a vast array of
diseases such as muscular dystrophy, AIDS,
Parkinson's, emphysema, heart disease,
Alzheimer's, Lupus and cancer. And I was pleased
to join my Senate colleagues recently in
approving the Specter amendment to increase NIH
funding by $1.5 billion for fiscal year 2006.

Please be assured that I will continue to
push for increases in federal funding to support
the advancement of the American health care
system through scientific research.




Sincerely,


Barbara Boxer
United States Senator