A Closer Look

Ask Your Senators to Support Parkinson's Research Funding!

Action Needed Today to Support NIH Funding!
 
Senators Casey (D-PA) and Burr (R-NC) are circulating a letter in the Senate to support sustained funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014.  It is important that you ask your Senators to show support for critical biomedical research funding by signing the letter. More »

Join the Rally for Medical Research on April 8!

On April 8, thousands will gather in Washington, D.C. to Rally for Medical Research – a unified call to our nation’s policymakers to make medical research funding a national priority.  This call to action will raise awareness about the critical need for a sustained investment in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to improve health, spur progress, inspire hope, and save lives. More »

Twitter Generates Advocacy Results for Parkinson's Postdoctoral Scientist

Columbia University’s Nancy Parmalee, Ph.D. was excited to be going on Capitol Hill in February with other PAN advocates to fight for federal biomedical research funding.  Granted, it was a tough time in Congress – sequestration was about to kick in – but when your life’s work depends on the federal government funding the National Institutes of Health, which then funds you, you roll up your sleeves and you fight.  Nancy is a postdoctoral scientist who works on human genetics and Parkinson’s disease.  More »

Telemedicine Can Increase Quality of Care for People with Parkinson's, Reduce Costs

Did you know 42% of people with Parkinson’s don’t get the specialized care of a neurologist or movement disorder specialist and see only a general practitioner for their Parkinson’s-related healthcare needs?1  Did you know that people in 20 of 23 counties in Maryland do not have access to a Parkinson’s disease specialist?2  Research has shown that people with Parkinson’s who receive specialized care are better able to manage their symptoms and the disease. More »

Congress Passes Legislation to Keep Government Funded

Important Programs Funded, Sequestration Still in Effect

This morning, Congress passed a bill to keep the government funded through September 2013.  The bill now goes to the president, who is expected to sign it before March 27, the expiration of the current funding law.

The Parkinson's Action Network (PAN) is pleased that programs important to the Parkinson's community, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Department of Defense's (DoD) Parkinson's research program, will continue to be funded. More »

Sequestration -- Now What?

As you have probably heard, the across-the-board cuts known as sequestration, went into effect on March 1.  PAN advocates, in coordination with thousands of research advocates, worked tirelessly to prevent these cuts from going into effect.  Advocates called, emailed, and visited their Members of Congress to inform them of the impact sequestration will have on biomedical research and drug development.  More »

$14.4 Billion Economic Burden of Parkinson's Disease Takes Toll on Families

This statement is prepared on behalf of the American Parkinson Disease Association, the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the National Parkinson Foundation, the Parkinson Alliance, the Parkinson’s Action Network, and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. More »

The Power of Advocacy

Every family has a connection to disease -- oftentimes, more than one.  Families and individuals also are concerned about how and where federal dollars are spent.  “The Power of Advocacy” is a lively, educational discussion in which advocacy experts share their inside tips and tricks for how to make your voice heard in the halls of Congress.  More »

Spread the word on social media -- Parkinson's Call-in Day is February 27!

You don’t have to have Parkinson's to call your Member of Congress about research funding.  Anyone can do it!  Friends, family, neighbors, work colleagues -- the more, the better.  On Wednesday, February 27, we want the phones to ring in Congress all day long, so that every Senator and Representative knows that funding for Parkinson's research is important. More »

Judge Approves Medicare Improvement Standard Settlement

Upon hearing from advocates that Medicare denied therapy services because their condition had not “improved,” the Parkinson’s Action Network joined the Center for Medicare Advocacy in filing a class action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to remove Medicare’s Improvement Standard measurement for Parkinson’s and other degenerative diseases. More »