ADA 2011 Legislative Priorities

On February 8, 2011, ALDA members, Evelyn Crayton, Dana Herrazo, Mary Kay Mayer, and Julie Drzewiecki went to visit the Alabama Congressional Delegation on Capitol Hill.  They championed ADA's top legislative priorities for 2011.  They are:

1. Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act.  The purpose of the Older Americans Act is to reduce hunger and food insecurity, promote socialization of older individuals, and promote the health and well being of older individuals by assisting such individuals to gain access to nutrition and other disease prevention and health promotion services to delay the onset of adverse health conditions resulting from poor nutritional health or sedentary behavior.
2. The Medical Foods Equity Act.  ADA supports mandating national insurance coverage of foods specifically modified to be low in protein for children and adults with inborn errors of metabolism (IEM), such as phenylketonuria.  Currently thousands affected by these disorders cannot afford the foods medically necessary to avoid serious complications and achieve and maintain optimal health.
3. The Healthier Lifestyles and Prevention Act.  (S. 174 Currently only introduced in the Senate.)  This bill is also known as the HELP America Act. It focuses on ways to improve the health of Americans in many areas including child care centers, school, workplaces, health care providers, and communities.  Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are among the leading causes of death and disability in the US.  The economic impact is staggering.  More than 75 percent of the 2.5 trillion the US spends on health care annually is due to chronic disease.  Yet, less than 5 percent of the annual health care spending in the US goes toward chronic disease prevention.  The HELP America Act is intended to put the focus on prevention and saving health care dollars.

Please take a few minutes to email Alabama Senators Sessions and Shelby and your Congressman or Congresswoman, to voice your support for these important nutrition issues.  You can go to www.house.gov  to find the name of your Congressman or Congresswoman by typing in your zip code on the left hand corner of the page.  You can then click on your representative's name and their website will come up on your computer.  (The Alabama Senators can be reached via www.senate.gov.)   All legislators have a "Contact Me" icon which you can click on and email your support of the above listed legislation.  It is recommended you write a separate email for each of the above-listed issues.  Thanks for your advocacy on behalf of health and nutrition issues!