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NAMI Calls for Increase in NIH Funding
Statement of Michael J. Fitzpatrick
NAMI Executive Director

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is pleased to join other disease advocacy organizations in support of the "Research Means Hope" movement to ensure that the president’s FY 2011 budget meets the goal of making biomedical research funding a national priority.

Investment in medical research is the source of hope for people living with serious mental illness.

Direct and indirect costs of mental illness impact the federal budget overall and state and local communities nationwide, including a substantial and growing burden imposed on “default” systems such as emergency rooms, homeless shelters, police, jails and prisons.

Adequate investment in research on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression and other disorders is essential for our nation to address these human and financial costs.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has received more than $368 million in ARRA funding to support meritorious grants and invest in new “challenge” grants and “grand opportunity” grants.

President Obama needs to continue this investment in his FY 2011 budget proposal.

Legislative Alert

National Medical Research Day is October 21

NAMI is joining advocates from across the nation in asking President Obama to make medical research for improving health care a priority and support robust funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

To coincide with National Medical Research Day on Wednesday, October 21, NAMI and other illness and patient advocacy groups are rallying advocates to contact the White House this week in support of significant annual increases for NIH. Now is a particularly important time for President Obama to hear from research advocates because he is working with his administration to determine the FY 2011 budget priorities. http://bit.ly/14J4Pc