Research Saves Lives
As your constituent and as an advocate for the American Heart Association's You're the Cure network, I urge you to ask the chairman and ranking member of the health funding subcommittee to include $35 billion for the National Institutes of Health and provide significant funding increases for NIH heart and stroke research in their 2011 bill. A funding level of $35 billion will allow the NIH to capitalize on the momentum achieved under the Recovery Act investment to improve health, spur economic growth and innovation and advance science.
Enhanced funding for the NIH is a proven and wise investment. NIH supported research has revolutionized patient care, holds the key to novel treatments and generates economic growth and innovation.
Robust NIH funded research is the best hope to find a cure for heart disease, stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease---a major cause of permanent disability, the leading cause of death in our State, and our Nation's most costly killer. However, NIH continues to invest only 4% of its budget on heart research and mere 1% on stroke research. These funding levels do not allow scientists to take advantage of promising opportunities that could lead to new treatment and prevention strategies, and even cures.
NIH invests resources in every state and in 90% of congressional districts. In fact, each grant on average generates seven jobs, according to the NIH.
Thank you in advance for asking the leaders of the health funding subcommittee to provide $35 billion for the NIH to ensure continued progress against heart disease and stroke that kill and disable too many of our friends, family members and loved ones.
