What should be done for Arthritis Foundation?

Question:
The biggest problem with the Arthritis Foundation is that they don't lobby for federal research funds in Congress--and that's the only way to ultimately get results and relief for people suffering from Arthritis. They need to copy the example set over the last 15 years by AIDS activists and lobbyists who have pushed research funding at the NIH from 0 dollars in the mid 1980's to 2 billion dollars a year today. Their lobby efforts have transformed a deadly disease. Where is the Arthritis Foundation lobbyist? Even the Breast cancer lobbyists have done a great job too!! Why are we not lobbying?

Answer:
FYI--the A.F. 'does' lobby congress, both as Educational outreach and to increase funding for maaaannny research projects. This is done thru the Government Affairs Committee at the local Chapter level, as well as from the main office in Atlanta. In the eleven years I have served on my local chapter board I have seen the A.F. efforts (in combination with other org's) increase committed spending levels of federal and/or state dollars by more than 70 million dollars! Last fall the Washington Metropolitan Chapter 'hosted' rep's from all the chapters in the nation, and ren many meetings for Capital Hill staff and Representatives with attendance in excess of 200. I have also attended 3 different sessions in Annapolis Md. for the Maryland legislature in the past 6 years. If your local Chapter isn't doing something similar-get on them! They are supposed to EVERY year! Now, as to the total dollars allocated, I guess we are still fighting the 'image' problem, I guess that will continue to be a problem... Maybe we're talking about two different things. I'm talking about lobbying Congress-Congressmen and Senators in Washington DC who would vote on specific legislation to fund a specific disease or disorder or pass a directive that the NIH would need to follow--suggesting that a larger sum of research dollars go to NIAMS (the National Institute for Arthritis). NIAMS gets less money than any other Institute or Center researching specific diseases. It's lobbying on the federal level that counts because that's where all the money is and the large sum of 15.6 billion dollars that was appropriated this year for the NIH is not getting to NIAMS for arthritis research because the Arthritis Foundation is not doing its job in terms of lobbying Congress.