Parkinson’s advocates continue to work very hard to educate their Members of Congress about the program and secure Congressional support for NETRP funding and research.  Take Action 

Representatives Lane Evans, Sherwood Boehlert, Peter King, Carolyn B. Maloney, and Mark Udall sent the following Dear Colleague letter to the entire House of Representatives seeking support for NETRP funding:

April 4, 2006

Help Protect Our Soldiers and Sailors:

Support the U.S. Army

Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Research Program

Dear Colleague:

We urge you to support important biomedical research vital for the long-term health of our military as well as patients who suffer from neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and ALS.

Please join us in signing this letter to Chairman Young and Ranking Member Murtha requesting $49 million in funding for the Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Program (NETRP) in the U.S. Army Military Operational Medicine Research Program under the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command for Fiscal Year 2007. This level of funding is necessary to prevent cuts to critical NETRP funded research projects. This is not an expansion of the program; rather, it is the funding NETRP needs to fulfill their mission and necessary research.

Soldiers and sailors are routinely put in harm's way during both active duty and National Guard training, including daily exposures to toxic chemicals, such as pesticides and jet fuel, and low level radiation, from sonar and radar, as well as placed at risk of head and other bodily injuries. Scientific studies have found that these everyday exposures along with head injuries put our troops at an increased risk for developing neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's, ALS, and Alzheimer's-all of which cause permanent loss of brain and nerve cells. These actions in turn affect the overall readiness of our forces. At a time when additional pressure is placed on the war-fighter, NETRP funded research is working to discover the causes of Parkinson's disease as well as prevent and better treat this and other neurological diseases.

Established in 1997, the NETRP focuses on biomedical research designed not only to improve the treatment of neurological diseases, but also aims to identify the causes of disease and prevent them. The results of this research provide the Department of Defense with information on how best to protect military personnel and minimize or eliminate future exposures to toxic substances or harmful situations.

But the benefits of the program don't stop there. The findings from NETRP research projects have broad implications for the greater population as any research breakthroughs may be immediately applied to the civilian population as well-particularly the more than one million Americans with Parkinson's disease.

Furthermore, given the impending retirement of the baby boomers at the end of this decade, neurodegenerative diseases are expected to surpass cancer as the second leading cause of death among the elderly by 2040. When funds are invested, the return is dramatic- both lives and money are saved.

Your support is needed to prevent cuts to innovative, life-saving research at the U.S. Army Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Research Program. This is not an expansion of the program. Rather, it is the funding NETRP needs to fulfill their mission and necessary research.

We understand the budgetary restraints the Congress faces this year, and there are many competing priorities that the Committee must consider. We do, however, urge you to help continue our Nation's investment in this proven-program that is working to improve the lives of soldiers, civilians, and American families.

Please sign the attached funding request letter to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. If you would like to sign the letter or have further questions, please contact Mandy Wimmer at 202-225-5905 or Eben Carle at 202-225-3665.

Sincerely,

Lane Evans
Sherwood Boehlert
Peter King
Carolyn B. Maloney
Mark Udall