NFXF Advocates have had a very successful year! Our advocacy efforts focus on ensuring substantial federal investments in Fragile X research, policies that create opportunities for those living with Fragile X to have the best possible life, and an awareness in Congress of Fragile X. Here are some highlights of our efforts this year.
For the third year in a row, we are partnering with Rare Disease Legislative Advocates, a project of the EveryLife Foundation, to schedule Fragile X advocacy meetings with members of Congress and their staff during the August recess. Here is what you need to know.
Rep. Eliot Engel, D-NY-16, serves as the co-chair of the Fragile X Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. His co-chair is Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ-4. To help raise awareness of Fragile X for National Fragile X Awareness Day, Rep. Engel had a statement. Read the full statement here.
Please provide your comments on the draft NIH Strategic Plan for Fragile X.
On April 9, 2019, the National Fragile X Foundation provided testimony to support Fragile X research funding at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health. Below is Linda Sorensen's written testimony.
We work closely with several groups to help on common public policy and funding goals. These partnerships are key to our impact and an important leg in our advocacy stool. Like we say, Together, We're Stronger. One of these key partnerships is the Friends of the NICHD. The NICHD is the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development. It is one of the institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and funds most of the Fragile X research at NIH. The Friends work together to support, overall, the funding level for NICHD, which flows down to each of the research areas, including Fragile X.
Advocacy Day 2019 is done, and by all measures, it was another success. Fragile X advocates visited 56 Senate offices and 61 House offices – all of their home districts. We had fun, connected with [...]
If you have ever spent more than 5 minutes with Dillon Kelley, you know two things—you know about Fragile X and you know that, one day, Dillon Kelley will be a member of Congress.
Early Check is a new research study, led by RTI International and a group of distinguished partners, is now available for newborn babies in North Carolina. Fragile X syndrome is included in the screening. From [...]
Several years ago, NFXF Advocates were successful in adding Fragile X research to the Department of Defense's Congressional Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) list of authorized research areas. Each year, the NFXF advocates for continuation [...]
In March, over 150 NFXF Advocates descended onto Capitol Hill to once again advocate for Fragile X and raise awareness among Congress. A top ask is to join efforts to support Fragile X programs at [...]
There is strength in numbers, which is why we work with other patient advocacy groups on common goals, such as funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [...]
Thanks to the hard work of NFXF Advocates years ago, Fragile X is one of the authorized research areas at the Department of Defense's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (DOD CDMRP). Millions of dollars in [...]
Last year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded $46 million in Fragile X research, an amount that has trended upwards in the past few years. Over the years, they have funded hundreds of millions [...]
Last night, Congress passed the RAISE Family Caregivers Act. The bill, introduced by Fragile X Caucus co-chair and parent, Rep. Gregg Harper, directs the Secretary of HHS to work with stakeholders from state and local [...]
