Mar 23, 2009
Local Residents take MS Issues to Capitol Hill
LOCAL RESIDENTS TAKES MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
AND HEALTH POLICY ISSUES TO CAPITOL HILL
Amarillo residents Steve and Judy Rogers recently traveled to Washington, DC, and visited with members of Congress to represent the interests of those affected by multiple sclerosis.
As one of hundreds of MS activists in attendance at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society 2009 MS Public Policy Conference, the Rogers met with Congressman Mac Thornberry and three other Congressmen at the nation’s capitol.
"After our meeting with Mac Thornberry about healthcare issues, not only MS, but issues dealing with medical research, medicare, availability of generic MS drugs and other concerns, we found him to be very supportive of MS causes and other health care concerns especially when they deal with our region” said the Rogers.
During these visits, the Rogers urged Congress to:
• Undertake comprehensive and meaningful healthcare reform in the 111th Congress
• Allocate $15 million for MS research from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
• Establish a national MS disease registry for accurate information about its incidence and prevalence
About the Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS. In 2007 alone, through our home office and 50 state network of chapters, we devoted over $136 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested over $50 million to support 440 research projects around the world. We are people who want to do something about MS now.
Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contact the National MS Society at www.nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-344-4867 to learn about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current research that may one day reveal a cure.