Advocacy The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America's (CCFA) mission is to cure and prevent Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these devastating diseases. Advocacy is a vital part of this effort.
Our major goal for this legislative session is to ensure that Congress passes the newly introduced Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Enhancement Act.
You can make a difference by:
These and other key activities are conducted under the auspices of CCFA's Government Affairs Committee. The foundation's ongoing advocacy efforts include: - Working with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine the coverage standards of Medicare and Medicaid for therapies that IBD patients need to maintain their health, as well as the challenges IBD patients encounter when applying for Social Security Disability coverage. CCFA also works with the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to offer a better sense of the true prevalence of IBD and unique demographic characteristics of the IBD patient community (This study was funded at $700,000 by the recent Appropriations Bill). These activities are the result of the successful passage of the Research Review Act in 2004, the first IBD specific legislation passed by Congress.
- Testifying before the House Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee in support of annual increases in funding for IBD research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the CDC. Thanks to CCFA's advocacy we recently achieved our goal of doubling the overall NIH budget as well as the budget for IBD specific research at the agency.
- Collaboration with other organizations such as the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable and the Digestive Disease National Coalition (DDNC) to increase awareness of the importance of screening for colon cancer and to advocate for the rights to specialty care.
CCFA encourages its members, volunteers, and friends to become actively involved in advancing our policy goals. By sharing your story and providing crucial information about the impact of IBD, you can inform and inspire your elected representatives--in Congress and in your state legislature. We've already achieved great success in urging our legislators to implement responsible policies that can transform the lives of some 1.4 million Americans. With your help, we can accomplish even more! To receive regular updates and information on how you can make a difference, join CCFA's National IBD Advocacy Network. updated 3/7/08
|
