The American Society of Transplantation (AST) is encouraging its members to urge their legislators to support a 15% increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) fiscal year 2000 budget.
The Clinton Administration has proposed to increase NIH funding for next year by 2.1%. "This level is unacceptable and would throw off course the important bipartisan goal set by Congress to double NIH research funding by the year 2003," the AST's public policy staff writes at AST's website.
The AST wants its members to write a letter by July 16 to the appropriate legislators, as described at the website. Although AST posts a sample letter, the society hopes its members will personalize the letter by describing their own role in transplantation science. The society is also asking members to follow up the letter with a telephone call and to send a copy of the letter to:
Jodi Chappell
AST Public Policy Staff
1200 19th Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20036
For Your Information:
AST Public Policy Statement
http://www.a-s-t.org/policy/nih0699.htm
Includes the sample letter and a listing of the names, addresses, and phone numbers of legislators to whom letters and calls should be directed.
Please be aware that medical advice, diagnoses and physician references cannot be obtained from this site.