U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) today introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Special Diabetes Program, a critical public health program that improves diabetes research, treatment and prevention.
Since its inception in 1997, the Special Diabetes Program has funded significant Type 1 diabetes research as well as treatment initiatives targeted to American Indian and Alaska Native populations. The Dorgan-Collins reauthorization bill would provide each of these programs $200 million per year over the next five years.
"Reauthorization of these vital diabetes research programs will help millions of Americans who are suffering from diabetes, particularly in the Native American community, which is dramatically more affected by the disease than other ethnic groups," Dorgan said. "In addition, given that one of every five health care dollars is spent on treating individuals with diabetes, this program is a smart investment."
"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. Private organizations like the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the American Diabetes Association are also doing their part to fund research, support patients and families, and spur the government on to do even more. 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.
Currently, the Special Diabetes Program for Indians provides $150 million annually for Indian Health Services (IHS), tribes and tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations to prevent and treat diabetes. The Special Funding Program for Type 1 Diabetes allocates $150 million each year for research, development of therapies, and treatment methods to help diabetics treat the disease in the long term.
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