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| CPF Joins ATS on Capitol Hill to Advocate for Lung Disease Issues |
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The CPF joined The American Thoracic Society (ATS) for two days of advocacy and outreach on Capitol Hill in February and March to discuss issues that affect legislation important to lung disease and patients who suffer from it.
Nine teams of ATS doctors and members of the ATS Public Advisory Roundtable (PAR) - a group of nonprofit foundations representing lung disease patients - met with Members of the House and Senate to discuss three main legislative issues before the 110th Congress:
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation legislation (S. 329/H.R. 552)
- FDA Authority to Regulate Tobacco bill (S. 625/H.R. 1108)
- Patient-Focused Critical Care Enhancement Act (S. 718/H.R. 3886)
Representatives made visits to Members of Congress and their staffs advocating on each of the three issues and asking for support of the legislation.
Prior to their meetings on the Hill, the teams heard presentations from Members of Congress, Congressional staff and staff from federal programs, including Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) Rep. Tom Allen, Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS) and Rep. Eliot Engle (D-NY).
In the afternoon, after a full day of meetings on Capitol Hill, the CCR (The ATS Council for Chapter Representatives) and PAR representatives joined Members of Congress and their staffs for a reception that included a presentation from Samuel H. Wilson, M.D., Acting Director of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Dr. Wilson discussed the NIEHS’ work and its focus on respiratory disease. He said respiratory disease is the most abundant category of research for NIEHS, and represents more than double the research NIEHS is doing in cardiovascular and neurological disease. While addressing CCR and PAR, Dr. Wilson indicated his interest in increasing NIEHS involvement with patient organizations. “We would love to interact with you more closely to identify your needs and key research in these areas and to find more effective ways to improve public health, he said.”
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