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MIKULSKI ANNOUNCES INCREASED FUNDING FOR NATIONAL HEALTH, NURSING, SENIORS PROGRAMS IN SPENDING BILL

Secures $2.3 million for Maryland initiatives

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced the 2009 fiscal year Labor, Health and Human Services and Education spending bill includes $2.3 million for Maryland health and social service initiatives. The bill provides federal funding in nurse training facilities, women’s health initiatives and seniors programs, as well as critical investments for the National Institutes of Health ($30.26 billion), the National Institute on Aging ($1 billion) and the National Cancer Institute ($4.96 billion).

Senator Mikulski has a long history of fighting for adequate NIH funding, including spearheading the bipartisan effort to double the agency’s budget from $13.6 billion in fiscal year 1998 to $27 billion in fiscal year 2003. This year’s funding for NIH is a $1 billion increase over the President’s request.

“NIH is a jewel in the nation’s crown – saving lives and making new discoveries every day. I have fought, and will continue to fight, to make sure NIH has the funding it needs to meet its mission,” said Senator Mikulski. “Increased funding for NIH means more money to fund research and clinical trials so we can continue to make discoveries that will save lives today and tomorrow, one million at a time.”

This year’s spending bill provides $2.3 million in funding for Maryland initiatives:

• $1.25 million for Health Care for the Homeless. This funding will support the construction of a new health care facility in Baltimore City, allowing Health Care for the Homeless to expand medical care, mental health services, social services and addiction treatment for homeless individuals and families. Last year, Health Care for the Homeless provided comprehensive services to 6,000 homeless individuals in Baltimore.

• $750,000 for construction of Dr. Bob’s Place, a hospice care facility for terminally ill children, in downtown Baltimore. Dr. Bob’s Place will serve 75-100 children in the end-stages of their life, easing their pain and suffering, and providing counseling and support services to their families. Currently, there are about 700 Maryland children in need of hospice care annually. Dr. Bob’s Place will be the first venue in central Maryland to provide this care.

• $300,000 for Roberta’s House which will offer free counseling services to more than 500 urban children and families who have recently lost a loved one. Roberta’s house will also educate communities on how to help individuals cope with loss.

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Senator Mikulski, who also serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, also fought for increased funding for nursing, women’s health and seniors programs in this year’s spending bill:

STRENGTHENING NURSING PROGRAMS

The bill provides $168 million for nursing programs, $58.1 million above the President’s request. The additional funding will go the Advanced Nursing Education Program, the Nurse Loan Repayment and Scholarship Program and the Nurse Faculty Loan Program, all dedicated to addressing the nationwide nursing and nurse faculty shortage.

“America is facing a nursing shortage, and it is only getting worse. The shortage affects every state, every city, every town – and it affects our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq who rely on the care of our military nurses,” said Senator Mikulski, a long-time champion of nursing programs. “Increasing our nursing workforce is essential for our hospitals and for our patients. I will continue to fight to make nursing a priority in the federal law book and the federal checkbook.”

STANDING UP FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH

The spending bill invests $31 million in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Women’s Health, a $2.6 million increase above the President’s request. The bill also provides $300 million for the Title X Family Planning Program, which funds low-cost, confidential family planning services that would otherwise be out of reach for many low-income women.

“I will not stop my fight to ensure that research and standards are developed to further discoveries for women’s health. I will continue to stand sentry to make sure women are taken care of across the country,” said Senator Mikulski. “We must make sure women have the information they need, that doctors have the best tools and the best training, and that low-income, uninsured women have access to health care.”

SENIORS PROGRAMS

As Chairwoman of the HELP Committee’s Retirement Security and Aging Subcommittee, Senator Mikulski has worked for greater investments in critical programs to help those aging in place, as well as initiatives to support caregivers. The Senator led the effort to pass the Older Americans Act (OAA), which authorized several of the programs funding in this spending bill.

“Seniors today are living longer, healthier lives. We must do what we can to help them be as independent and active as possible, and provide the resources necessary to meet new challenges,” said Senator Mikulski. “I believe ‘Honor thy mother and father’ is not only a good commandment to live by, it’s also a good policy to govern by. That’s why I will continue to work to provide federal investments in these vital programs.”

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The OAA is essential for the delivery of social support, nutritional and caregiving services for America’s seniors, including the information and referral services that are the backbone of OAA programs, senior nutrition programs, and elder abuse programs. This year’s spending bill provides a total $1.48 billion for OAA initiatives, including:

• $571.9 million for the Senior Community Service Employment Program, $350 million above the President’s request. This program helps seniors gain employment in community service settings such as Meals on Wheels programs, senior centers and public libraries.

• $205 million for Meals on Wheels, $11 million above the President’s request. As a result of this program, 2.75 million people receive meals at senior centers or in their homes each year, including more than 42,000 in Maryland.

• $155 million for the National Family Caregiver Support Program, which helps provide family caregivers with information, resources and respite care.

• $28 million for the Choices for Independence Program, which aims to get seniors out of institutions and cared for in the community.

The spending bill also provides $1 million for the Alzheimer’s 24/7 Call Center, which provides information, support and assistance to caregivers and seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s-related memory loss, and $11.46 million for the Alzheimer’s Demonstration Grant Program. The President requested zero funding for the Alzheimer’s Demonstration Grant Program.

In the next step of the appropriations process, the bill will move to the Senate floor for a vote, which has not yet been scheduled.  For information on Senator Mikulski’s efforts to fund workforce training and education initiatives in this spending bill, go to: http://mikulski.senate.gov/Newsroom/PressReleases.

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