[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4876]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      PARKINSON'S AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mr. BILIRAKIS asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Parkinson's 
Awareness Month.
  People close to me have been impacted by Parkinson's disease. For me, 
it is personal. I am proud to serve as a cochair of the Parkinson's 
Caucus. It is just another way that I can get involved.
  Sadly, there is no cure for Parkinson's disease. Treatment is 
available, but it is often costly or marginally effective. This is not 
acceptable, as far as I am concerned.
  People tell me, Just increase funding at NIH. In the early 2000s, we 
did; we doubled the budget at NIH, but we didn't double the cures. In 
addition to adequate funding, we need to think critically about 
structural changes in our healthcare system. We need to rethink what we 
are doing and how we are doing it. The 21st Century Cures initiative is 
giving us an opportunity to find new cures and treatments for people 
living with rare and chronic conditions like Parkinson's disease.

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