ADA Urges President Bush Not to Veto Critical Appropria...( Funding is Critical for Research ...),Health

Funding is Critical for Research, Treatment and Disease Prevention for Nearly 21 Million Americans with Diabetes

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Diabetes Association (ADA) strongly urges President Bush to sign the Labor HHS Appropriations bill which will help provide for the well being of millions of people suffering from diabetes. Nearly 21 million children and adults are affected by diabetes in this country.

The bill contains $65,975,000 for the Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and $1,903,037,000 for the National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institute of Health (NIH). The bill represents a 5 percent increase for DDT and 2.7 percent for NIDDK; this is the first increase in two years for either program.

The number of people living with diabetes in this country grew at a shocking rate of 8 percent this year. In fact, according to the CDC nearly 50 million Americans will be diagnosed with diabetes by 2050.

"We support the increases in the Labor-HHS funding bill for diabetes programs at both NIH and CDC. The nation has a desperate need to address the staggering growth of diabetes and we hope the President takes the responsible action in signing this bill." said John Buse, MD, PhD, ADA President, Science & Medicine.

The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information, and advocacy. The Association's advocacy efforts include helping to combat discrimination against people with diabetes; advocating for the increase of federal diabetes research and programs; and improved access to, and quality of, healthcare for people with diabetes. The Association's mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Founded in 1940, the Association provides service to hundreds of
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