New Federal Law Aims To Study And Treat Parkinsons Disease – West Virginia Public Broadcasting

West Virginia has the third-highest prevalence rate of Parkinsons in the country with about 7,000 people living with the disease, according to the Economic Burden of Parkinsons Disease study published in 2019.

During a press conference with her fellow Senate Republicans on Tuesday, West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito announced a bill she helped introduce to address Parkinsons disease nationally has been signed into law.

There now will be developed a national plan to end Parkinsons disease, Capito said. We know it manifests in a lot of different ways, we havent done the research and development across the country, and I personally want to thank the advocates from my state of West Virginia who have served as a very powerful voice.

The bill, called the Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinsons Act requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop and evaluate progress on a government-wide plan to address Parkinsons.

Through hard work and collaboration, we came together to establish a path forward to address Parkinsons disease and strengthen our pursuit of a cure. Now that this legislation is officially law, the federal government can unite around our mission of ending this disease and establish a responsible plan that increases diagnosis and treatment, and supports research efforts already underway, Capito said. Many West Virginians have stressed the need and importance of this effort, and Im thrilled to deliver on behalf of them and all who have been impacted by this terrible disease.

The act also creates an advisory council made up of people from federal agencies, caregivers, patients and other non-federal experts to support research, care and services for Parkinsons.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.

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New Federal Law Aims To Study And Treat Parkinsons Disease - West Virginia Public Broadcasting