SENATE PASSES DORGAN-COLLINS LEGISLATION TO EXTEND CRITICAL DIABETES RESEARCH FUNDING
The United States Senate has unanimously passed bipartisan legislation that includes a two-year extension of the Special Diabetes Program. U.S. Senator Susan Collins, founder and co-chair of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, along with her colleague, Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), led efforts in the Senate to extend this critical public health program that provides important investments in diabetes research, treatment and prevention. Senator Collins urged her colleagues to reauthorize the program before the end of the year. The legislation, which was included in the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010, is fully paid-for and will not contribute to the deficit.
Since its inception in 1997, the Special Diabetes Program has funded significant Type 1 diabetes research as well as prevention and treatment initiatives for Type 2 diabetes for Native Americans. The Senate bill allocates $150 million to the National Institutes of Health for research, development of therapies, and long-term treatment methods for Type 1 diabetes. The legislation also allocates $150 million annually for programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent and improve treatments for Type 2 diabetes among Native Americans.
"Since I founded the Senate Diabetes Caucus, funding for diabetes research at the National Institutes of Health has more than tripled. After more than a decade of investment, the Special Diabetes Program is making tangible improvements in the lives of Americans who are living with diabetes. It is also making significant progress toward a cure. As a consequence, we have seen some encouraging breakthroughs and the development of better treatments. We are on the threshold of a number of important new discoveries that may ultimately lead to cure. That is why it is critical that Congress extend funding for the Special Diabetes Program," Collins said.
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Since its inception in 1997, the Special Diabetes Program has funded significant Type 1 diabetes research as well as prevention and treatment initiatives for Type 2 diabetes for Native Americans. The Senate bill allocates $150 million to the National Institutes of Health for research, development of therapies, and long-term treatment methods for Type 1 diabetes. The legislation also allocates $150 million annually for programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent and improve treatments for Type 2 diabetes among Native Americans.
"Since I founded the Senate Diabetes Caucus, funding for diabetes research at the National Institutes of Health has more than tripled. After more than a decade of investment, the Special Diabetes Program is making tangible improvements in the lives of Americans who are living with diabetes. It is also making significant progress toward a cure. As a consequence, we have seen some encouraging breakthroughs and the development of better treatments. We are on the threshold of a number of important new discoveries that may ultimately lead to cure. That is why it is critical that Congress extend funding for the Special Diabetes Program," Collins said.
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