From Rep. Rush Holt’s (D-NJ) weekly email newsletter | March 28, 2008
“This month, the Alzheimer’s Association issued a new report, 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, which contains powerful data about the disease. As reported, 5.2 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s and an estimated 10 million baby boomers – one out of eight – will develop the disease. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.
Alzheimer’s is a tragic and devastating disease that touches us all in some way. Congress and the President should ensure that the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health have the funding they need to advance research into the disease.
More than 20 years ago, the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) – a support agency created to provide Congress with objective and authoritative analysis of complex scientific and technical issues to aid in policymaking – issued “Losing a Million Minds: Confronting the Tragedy of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias.” This comprehensive and valuable report remains an important resource about the disease and what we need to do to combat it. It is also a good example of why Congress needs to restore funding for the OTA, which was defunded in 1994.”
Sincerely,
RUSH HOLT
Member of Congress