HR 2239 “Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act of 2011” could increase funding for disease like Gastroparesis or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Visit Functional GI and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act of 2011 on Facebook.
Everyone out there who is dealing with a functional gastrointestinal and motility disorder(FGIMD) needs to listen up & get the word out to their friends, family & especially their local US district representative about H.R. 2239 the “Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act of 2011“. The goal of the bill is to increase funding for functional & motility related gastrointestinal diseases.
Currently the National Institute of Health(NIH) invests very little money towards research of these diseases.
credit: Crystal Saltrelli - LivingWithGastroparesis.com
H.R. 2239 looks to change this by:
[…] directing the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to provide the necessary funding for continued expansion and advancement of the FGIMDs research portfolio through intramural and extramural research;
[…] directing the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to expand research into FGIMDs that impact children[.]
There are a wide range of FGIMDs that would be covered for research under H.R. 2239:
[…] dysphagia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, dyspepsia, cyclic vomiting syndrome, gastroparesis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Hirschsprung’s disease, chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, bowel incontinence, and many others[…]
This bill would be a great leap forward as far as raising awareness & getting better diagnostic & treatment options for these diseases!
What you need to do!
Contact your local US district representative about H.R. 2239. Make them aware of the bill, tell them about how the disease affects you, a family member or a friend.
How do you get in contact with your representative? Go to Congress.Org & enter your zip code on the right hand side.
Once you enter your zip code you should get a list your Elected Officials. You want to look under “Representatives” which is under “President & Congress” on the left hand side.
States are broken into districts & representatives are elected to each district. In some cases your zip code may overlap multiple districts. You might need to narrow down your representative by entering your full address. Once you have located your local district representative you can either call or e-mail them.
If you choose to call, call their Washington D.C. offices. Ask to speak to a staff member who handles health related legislation. You may get sent to voicemail. That’s fine, leave a message that briefly explains that you’re a constituent of your representatives district, how FGIMDs have affected your life or someone you care about & ask them to “become a cosponsor of H.R. 2239 by contacting Amy Bos in the office of Congressman James Sensenbrenner, Jr.”
You can e-mail them as well. You may need to register at the Congress.Org website or you might be redirected to your representatives website where you can write your message to them. Make sure you include “become a cosponsor of H.R. 2239 by contacting Amy Bos in the office of Congressman James Sensenbrenner, Jr.” somewhere in your message.
Given that I keep odd hours, I opted to e-mail my local rep, David Wu.
I would just like to bring your attention to the house bill HR 2239 “Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act of 2011”.
I have personally suffered from Irritable Bowel Syndrome for 14 years and went through an acute case of Gastroparesis for 3 months. Both of these diseases have had a profound & lasting affect on my life. Motility related digestive illnesses greatly affect a person’s quality of life & they greatly impact a person’s social, educational & career endeavors. With almost 20% of Americans facing some form of digestive motility disorder, it’s a shame that there isn’t more funding given to researching these diseases.
I ask that you please become a cosponsor of H.R. 2239 by contacting Amy Bos in the office of Congressman James Sensenbrenner, Jr.
Thank you,
Gabriel Hedges
It doesn’t take much time to drop them a line. It’s only 15 – 20 minutes of your time that could eventually impact the rest of your life.
Specials thanks to Crystal Saltrelli for her great gastroparesis advocacy efforts & the IFFGD.
Visit Functional GI and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act of 2011 on Facebook.
Thanks for your contribution to this effort with this post. There is also information on this at the above links, which I founded, along with a grassroots, self advocacy and awareness-focused Yahoo Group. People with IBS, family, friends and person-centered professionals are welcome to check them out.