Breaking news!
This week, the Senate passed the Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act! Now that the bill has passed through both houses of Congress, it heads to the President’s desk where it will be signed into law!
Here is some history about the National Plan:
In 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act – the first-ever legislation in Congress focusing on curing and preventing Parkinson’s disease (PD) and ensuring quality care for those living with the disease. Since then, it has worked its way through both houses of Congress, with the help of many advocates in the PD community.
This legislation will create an advisory council composed of representatives from federal agencies already working on Parkinson’s, people with PD, caregivers, health care providers, and representatives from non-profit organizations with experience in Parkinson’s research and care. The advisory council will meet quarterly to create a strategic plan to end PD and be responsible for reporting to Congress every two years on its progress and impact.
The National Parkinson’s disease plan will address ways to:
- Increase federal research funding to help prevent and cure PD
- Develop a more streamlined approval process for treatments for PD
- Create new and improved models for patient care, with a specific interest in decreasing health disparities in PD treatment
- Develop standards and measures to prevent PD
- Coordinate a national plan to track cases of PD
- Improve the early diagnosis of PD
- Increase public engagement and public awareness of the disease
- Decrease the use of toxins that may contribute to PD risk
- (and more)
Once the President signs the bill into law, the real work will begin for the Federal government, along with all interested parties, to flesh out the details of the plan.
APDA will eagerly support this effort and will keep you posted about the next steps in this process as the advisory council is formed and begins its critical work.