There is great news about the stimulus package coming out of Congress. It includes $10 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health, money that will support research that could lead to cures for heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. It also contains other provisions important to the American Heart Association including those that will promote health information technology, support prevention programs, extend health insurance for the unemployed, address health disparities and allow for the renovation of school facilities to help address our nation’s childhood obesity epidemic.
You’re the Cure advocates played a vital role in passing this important legislation by sending emails and calling their lawmakers throughout the legislative process. Thanks to you, we are one step closer to our mission of building healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke!
But, this is just the beginning of what we can accomplish through advocacy. The American Heart Association is working to achieve meaningful healthcare reform to address barriers to insurance and quality healthcare for heart and stroke patients. Learn more about our efforts and get involved at http://www.heartsforhealthcare.org/.
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41 comments:
As a parent with a child with congenital heart disease and as we celebrate Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Day today, February 14th, I am wondering if and of the $10B will cover and or provide any aid, funding, research for Congenital Heart Disease, our Nation's Leading Birth Defect.
I am glad the AHA finds this to be such great news. The email I received just this morning from Ms. Nancy Brown, AHA CEO, reveals an "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" mentality to this administration. How long is the AHA indebted to the "leaders" who spear-headed this irresponsible spending package? Now that the AHA is receiving my tax dollars for funding, you can remove me from all mailing solicitations as I no longer feel the need to contribute to your organization.
Nancy Brown - First of all thank you for all the good and important work you do! Unfortunately for the American People, congress and the President have disguised funding for NIH as stimulus for the economy. It is not stimulative in the near term and this money should have been appropriated in the normal course of appropriations. Furthermore I am disgusted by the AHA/ASA's blatant politicizing of of important health issues; shame on you! I am appalled.
I am very disappointed in the AHA for feeling that receiving money from a supposed stimulus package is great news, you should be ashamed. The sad part is I come from a family that has been affected by heart disease, so any and all research needs to be done to stop this disease. But I cannot condone spending tax payer dollars for this purpose at this time, if we waste time and money at this time it isn't going to matter because we won't have this wonderful country anymore.
I am all for research to help cure heart and vascular diseases as my family has a poor cardiac history. However this is exactly what is wrong with this stimulus package. This money should never have been intended for medical research, no matter how important it is. It should only have been used to stimulate the financial economy in order to put people back to work. I intend to spread the word that The American Heart Association no longer needs private support as it is now covered by our billions of tax dollars already. I also hope the legislative heroes you referred to in your email are soundly defeated in two years. Please remove my name from all mailing lists and solicitations. Ann Blackwell
Mrs Brown,
I, like many of your other bloggers, resent the fact that you've politicized such important health issue. It looks like you, as well as Congress, took advantage of this national time of distress to fool the naive people into thinking that government is our savior and you are right there to accept the handout. Well let's see how many jobs you will be generating or hiring back the people that maybe you laid off. Wasn't that the objective? Very disappointed in your celebrating your children and/or grandchildren debt. If I was you I'd be looking for another job. Since your pockets are full don't count any more on my donations.
I can't believe you sent me this email! So you are getting a piece of the pie -- you get money and that makes the "spendulous bill" okay?
The Democrats pass the bill in the middle of the night with no Republican input... and insist on voting early the next day... and NO ONE READS THE DAMN THING!! This is cause for celebration?
I am removing myself from your email list immediately... Obama and his group of thugs should go back to Chicago with Bill Ayers!
Nancy Brown, you deserve to be REMOVED from your post immediately! What a reprehensible message. For you to gloat over getting $10 Billion of money that should not be spent on anything other than truly stimulative projects is irresponsible and self-serving. You can expect no further donations from me... how's that for politicization?
I've also forwarded your inane comments to Sean Hannity, Mike Huckabee, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, and other conservatives who will no doubt find your comments very "interesting".
I could not agree more with the above comments.
While I am a registered democrat, I fail to see any reason to celebrate. Why was there no time alotted to read thru the proposal? Obama himself said he would ensure time for all to make that happen.
Did everyone stay up all night?
Who would not be for ridding the world of heart disease and associated problems? Yet I find this move by Congress to be about as irresponsible as I have ever seen in my 50 years of living! We are talking about 10 BILLION dollars here! This is a hugh amount of money that tax payers badly need in their own pockets in this time of economic disaster (mostly caused by poor government policy in the first place). This is NOT stimulating anything other than the hearts of the Lobbist that "bribed" their Congressmen to get it. Shame on this Country for having such a corrupt system in place!!!
Shame on them they gave a pitance.Look at the bill the Congress wasnt even given 48 hours to read 11000 pages. Heart disease and others were given a small amount.Nancy Brown your a stupid person Dont you tell me this is great if our senate and cabinate payed taxes and made sure that our money wasnt given to voter fraud groups we would have more money for health. Nancy your dumb we are on to how really self serving you are. HEart groups have been cheated for years and this is no victory giving us 5.00 out of 50000.00 The middle class pays for you to talk and write self serving garbage yeah tell that Mom you helped. Helped yourself. because you are and insider and the cause for corruption. given money by both parties but it would have been more if they had not screwed up and been so blatantly dishonest in the first place. victory too much money has been wasted by these tax dodgers thieves.
Shame on them they gave a pitance.Look at the bill the Congress wasnt even given 48 hours to read 11000 pages. Heart disease and others were given a small amount.Nancy Brown your a stupid person Dont you tell me this is great if our senate and cabinate payed taxes and made sure that our money wasnt given to voter fraud groups we would have more money for health. Nancy your dumb we are on to how really self serving you are. HEart groups have been cheated for years and this is no victory giving us 5.00 out of 50000.00 The middle class pays for you to talk and write self serving garbage yeah tell that Mom you helped. Helped yourself. because you are and insider and the cause for corruption. given money by both parties but it would have been more if they had not screwed up and been so blatantly dishonest in the first place. victory too much money has been wasted by these tax dodgers thieves.
You have to be kidding if you think this is good news!! The more the government gets involved in our lives, and medicine in particular, the more they diminish the quality of the best medical system in the world. Can't you see what socialized medicine has done to patient care in other countries? Every single aspect of our lives that the government has gotten involved in and tried to control, they have destroyed, e.g.: public education, the mortgage industry, social security and on and on.
You would be a lot better off by simply allowing the American people, who use to believe in you, support you. If you think that kissing up to our government is going to help you, you need to take your blinders off. Take a look at the records of our wonderful elected officials and you will see that they are out only for themselves. They are totally unresponsive to the people who have elected them. You have just lost a loyal supporter.
I can't believe the double standards imposed on the people of this country. We are expected to be responsible with our finances, but I'd sure like to see the credit score for our government. What is wrong with you? This may be helping one group, but how is it solving any of the problems that Obama's campaign was based on? I feel so angry that we've been ripped off again. You won't be seeing any donations of any kind from me until this is blunder is reversed!
Shameful:
Please remove me from your mailing list. You've managed to allow your own personal political preferences to show through. There is no place for this in the important work of the Association. My future donations will depend on what the American Heart Association does in terms of your future,
Wow...if I were a part of the AHA I would be embarassed at taking so much money from the tax payers'! It seems that a victory for the AHA is a defeat for the tax payer. Sure, the cause is great, but there are many, many other causes just as great...none of which should be begging at Uncle Sams door. Donations should come directly from us, the people, not from the government. The government does not earn or make any of the money it gives. The government produces NOTHING!! In this case the money is simply being printed up and is backed by nothing at all. This new money will soon cause inflation because it can't be paid for. All the workers in this Country giving 100% of their income to the government could not make up for this kind of spending! What is the deal...why does everyone have their hand out to Uncle Sam for "free money"? Are we a nation of beggers instead of workers? How can the Country survive when nobody is working and making an honest living anymore? YIKS!
I have just removed myself from the email list as I am extremely offended by Nancy Brown's email message crowing about the "victory" won by the NIH receiving 10 BILLION dollars -- SHAME on you -- Nancy, you should be removed as CEO for politicizing the AHA -- How DARE you assume that your contributors are aligned with you in fleecing the American people of their hard earned tax dollars -- Your lobbying efforts sure paid off, and I wonder just what you gave to Senator Spector for him to receive such a "shout-out" from you -- This money will be wasted as it is piddled away on meaningless research grants -- for studies that are ill concieved and ill run -- it makes me sick -- raises my blood pressure, and in such increases MY heart disease risk -- THANK YOU NANCY
I have valvular heart disease to be exact Mitral Valve Prolapse with severe reguration. Every year thousands of people have surgery for valve repairs or valve replacements. Thursday i am having surgery to fix my Mitral Valve, Pulmonary vale and PFO (hole in heart). The AHA never writes one word about Valvular heard disease. Dont you think it is time you did. Our sisters and brothers are dying of this heart disease every day. Yet you just ignore it
I personally have not read this part of the stimulus package. Has anyone else? I realize our nation is all "political" now and forget the little guy. But everyone who is complaining about how our tax dollars are now being spent, think about this - do the "big guys" really contribute anything. The people that can truly make a difference with their money choose not to, or choose another organization they believe is more fitting. If you notice, it does not just say heart disease, it goes after many other things, one being obseity in children. Maybe we should all take a step back and think before we speak.
Diane, St. Louis, MO
After receiving this email this morning I have asked to be removed from the mailing list. This legislation is totally irresponsible and will put my children and grandchildren into deep debt. It is nothing but a payback for the various left wing organizations that helped to elect a socialist president. I have heart disease and appreciate all that the association does but this is beyond belief. You have had the wool pulled over your eyes.
I will never send another dime to AHA. You can choke to death on your $10 billion dollars from my taxes as well as my children and Grand-children's taxes. Nancy Brown you need to resign! How dare you think that this is a good way to spend stimulus dollars. What jobs is the AHA creating with there share of this stimulus package? Good luck with your share of the stimulus booty.
The AHA did not receive this money - the National Institutes of Health did. However, it is not something to be proud of.
Increased funding for NIH to find a cure for heart disease and stroke as well as other diseases is good news. Thanks for sharing.
Shame on you! I do NOT respect this form of manipulation of the system. I don't care who the lobby represents. This bill was not about health issues, this bill was about the economy. You have lost my respect and future funding.
I can't be more happy for the United States that we have taken this step forward for our nation. I would like to thank the American Heart Association staff and volunteers who worked hard to ensure that important health priorities were included in the stimulus package. Ensuring that a portion of this money would go for NIH research is core to the fight against heart disease and stroke. Funding for heart disease and stroke research and prevention programs at the NIH and CDC not only help move the mission of the AHA/ASA forward but this money will also provide researchers with jobs - and that not only stimulates the economy but helps position the United States as the leader it should be when it comes to scientific research in the world.
I am proud to be an AHA volunteer and thank Nancy Brown for sending us this message.
This is NOT what the stimulus was SUPPOSED to be about... The stimulus was supposed to be about getting the economy going with a shot in the arm. All it turned out to be was a middle of the night, pushed through, sight unseen, agenda vehicle. Giving money to the NIH will create how many jobs? At $10 billion dollars!!! Big Brother information technology is a terrible idea... they can't keep SS records, military records, etc. secure. What makes you think that medical information will do anything but cost people their jobs, insurance, health insurance etc.
D G
The stimulus is intended to get the economy moving - it should provide opportunities for good jobs for Americans - providing funds for research, school construction, built environments and more will create good jobs - help the economy and help build healthier lives - we should applaud.
What some of the others who commented failed to consider is the jobs that will result from the passage of the stimulus bill including the provisions outlined in the email. For example, with every new grant the NIH will be able to award, a number of jobs will result, from the researcher to the maintenance staff responsible for up-keep of the lab. And those are just the short term benefits. The discoveries coming out of those labs today are the cures of tomorrow, saving our country from the astronomical healthcare costs we deal with in the present.
AMEN and AMEN and AMEN! If you want a socialist country, please move to any other country than here. We were established to be a free republic. Love the work you do but please, just say no to the government money. You will be a government owned company and lose your rights, just as we are losing ours with this President and his cabinet choices.
I'm excited for this next step! Good work. Research and the implementation of that research saves lives and prevents disability, which saves health care dollars! Keep up the good work!
NIH research impacts every state and employs research to investigate ways to save lives and prevent illness. It is sad folks don't understand the value of research when it will likely save their life!
So many people used to die from illnesses that are no big deal now. Why? yep, because of research!
The point is not whether or not research saves lives and prevents illness -- or whether the NIH and the AHA do good work -- the point is that this funding did not belong in this "Stimulus" Bill -- especially 10 Billion -- this is a debt that we cannot afford -- the CEO of the AHA in sending out the congratulatory email is seen only as a politician who is grabbing at the money pot for their own special interests while everyone else be dammed
So many people seem to be missing the point here. The stimulus money is not coming to AHA, but it will help to fund research and other important programs. Those research dollars and programmatic dollars in states will create jobs, improve health, and ultimately save tax payers dollars. This is all good news!
That is great there is funding for the NIH. Hopefully, those who truly can't afford heath care will benefit as well. On the other hand, we as individuals have to make our own healthy choices (free of charge) regardless of having funding or not.
Nancy Brown -
I just received your e-mail and am absolutely dumbfounded that as a taxpaying US Citizen whose children's children will be paying for this "stimulus" bill for many years to come, that you can not see the irony in bragging about provisions to help reduce heart disease and stroke in a "stimulus", get it, "stimulus" bill. Your causes are good causes that affect us all and causes to which, in the past, I have donated both time and money, however, your message infuriates me. Support for these types of causes has no business being in this bill and your congressional "champions" have sold this country out for their own personal agendas. I believe Mr. Obama coerced a bill that those given the power to vote did not have adequate time to read or understand and allowed it to be filled with the pork he promised to eliminate. All who voted for this bill have committed a disservice to me and my country and I am disgusted with them, and now you, for being instrumental this.
It makes me sick to think that my commitment and support of the American Heart Association had anything to do with passing this legislation so I am particularly going to try and forget you said that. You should have just quietly taken my tax money, and my personal donations, and done some good things with it.
Please remove me from any of your mailing lists and do not ask me for money again until your 10 billion part of the Trillion dollars is paid off. I will not have forgiven you by then but should be old enough to forget, and most likely dead.
Response to Nancy Brown(email)
Mitch and I, as you have read above, have for 23 years of working together, always championed the cause for the heart association; however I too am withdrawing my support of the Heart Association and well do everything I can to make sure that Senator Arlen Specter, Olivia Snow, Susan Collins and Tom Harkin are never re-elected!
Peter and Julie Delo
Shamed Heart Association Supporter
Proud Conservative America
DITTO, DITTO, DITTO !!!! With all who oposse this action by AHA CEO!
Nancy, you should resign your politiziced partisan position, and maybe, but maybe, you may regain some respect from some of us. Of course, you will never get one more penny from me....Oh, that's right you don't need my donations anymore...you now have $10 billion!!!
If you give money to the NIH, then more research can be done, which means job creation, which means stimulation for the economy. This bill was about creating jobs and stimulating the economy, so it makes sense to give money to people who can create jobs. And let's not forget that research jobs could possibly lead to medical breakthroughs that could lead to a healthier America therefore causing less strain on our economy due to health reasons. We should be happy that this will create more jobs and possibly help create a healthier country.
I just had a look at the NIH website -- they are not hurting for money -- the NIH awards over 29 Billion yearly in grants throughout the USA and around the world (yes, around the world) -- in 2007 California alone received over 3 billion -- so it makes me wonder why such an already well-funded organization needed more money (especially now)-- unless it was for this:
(From Americans for Prosperity):
"The Road to Government Run Health Care
$1.1 billion for “comparative effectiveness research” that will establish a federal government board to begin rationing health care by having bureaucrats deciding which medical treatments will be appropriate for which Americans" Perhaps this 10 Billion for the NIH is already designated for specific research projects --- to enable this new government to fulfill their agenda of social engineering -- Cardiac interventions may be deemed too costly, especially in the elderly and those with co-morbid disease states --- wake up people -- and God help us all ----
The AHA should be mortified to be included as part of the pork in the economic stimulus bill! And what's more SHAME ON YOU for bragging about it! I make a donation every year to the AHA and have solicited donations from my friends and neighbors in years past to support heart research. I have attended women's heart health luncheons, and participated in many many fundraising events over the years. NEVER AGAIN. I am outraged that the AHA actually lobbied to be included as part of the pork in the economic stimulus package, and now has the gall to act like this is something good. Since the AHA has now usurped an involuntary donation from me, I will not be donating anything further, unless I hear that the AHA has declined the funds.
So, Nancy Brown, will you be doing what is being asked of excutives of other recipients of "economic stimulus" money and publishing an accounting how every dime is spent? It's only right, you know, since you are being entrusted with taxpayer funds, that you tell us how you're spending them!
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