• Your senator should vote against an amendment that would eliminate $5.8 billion in funding for Prevention and Wellness activities, including $750 million for immunization, from the stimulus bill, officially known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Such an amendment may be offered by Senator Ben Nelson and/or Senator Susan Collins.
   
• The $750 million for immunization will save more than $3 billion in direct medical costs over a generation. It will provide vaccines to 430,000 children and 747,000 adolescents who are underinsured.
   
• 300 children still die every year in the United States from vaccine-preventable diseases. Another 33,000 Americans of all ages would die of these diseases every year if not for our routine immunization programs.
   
• This is no one's pet pork barrel project. Our national immunization safety net has become frayed after years of insufficient funding, and this bill is our chance to patch it up to prevent future costs, illnesses, and deaths.

It is especially urgent that you call if you live in one of the following states:

For senators not listed here, you can call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to that senator's office. It is better to call Capitol offices than local offices. Senators are also listed at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
 
Phone calls are best, but if you can't get through, you can also send an email using the web forms available when you click on the URL immediately above.


WHEN YOU CALL:

Ask to speak to a staff member who works on Health and Human Services appropriations. Tell that person your professional affiliation and briefly describe the work you do on immunization. Ask for the immunization funding to stay in the stimulus bill. Senators take seriously the opinions of constituents who take the time to call!

You may want to mention how much of the $750 million in immunization funding your state stands to receive. (The funding is under Section 317 of the Public Health Service Act.) Here is a table of estimates:

IAC thanks the 317 Coalition for monitoring this developing situation. The 317 Coalition is a national network of organizations that advocates for increased federal funding for childhood, adolescent, and adult immunization programs. If your organization would like to become a member of the 317 Coalition, contact Amy Souders, Cornerstone Government Affairs, at asouders@cgagroup.com

For more information on the status of the amendment, visit http://www.317coalition.org and click on "Take Action."