Fight Alzheimer's: Support the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act

Dear Congressmember [Name],

As your constituent, I urge you to co-sponsor the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2009 (S. 1492/H.R. 3286).

As you are aware, due to the aging baby boomer, Alzheimer's disease is quickly becoming the country's biggest, broadest and most expensive problem - to individuals, families and the healthcare system and the government. Yet, for the last six years, federal funding for Alzheimer research has declined in real terms while the loss of lives and costs to Medicare and Medicaid continue to soar.

By calling for a significant increase in funding for Alzheimer's at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to $2 billion, the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act authorizes investments that will restore momentum to the pursuit of better diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Advances and progress in the various areas of Alzheimer research have the potential to save millions of lives and save billions of dollars in federal spending.

Equally important as investing in the research is helping the nearly 10 million Alzheimer caregivers today who wrestle with the financial, physical and emotional challenges of caring for a loved one with this disease. The Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act will provide them with vital resources and tools to assist them in this demanding role. It also calls for a National Summit on Alzheimer's to look at promising research avenues and programs that are important in fighting this disease and supporting those who are struggling with it.

The primary sponsors of this legislation are Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Christopher Bond (R-MO) and Congressmen Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ).

Please add your name as a co-sponsor to show your support for the swift enactment of this important legislation to protect the quality of life for millions of Americans - those with Alzheimer's, those who care for them and those who will suffer in the future, if we don't take steps now to eliminate this disease.

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To sign on, contact Jillian Oberfield in Rep. Markey's office: jillian.oberfield@mail.house.gov; 202.225.2836 or Peter Rubin in Senator Mikulski's office: Peter_Rubin@help.senate.gov; 202.224.0767.