The Foundation is closely tracking and providing perspective to Congressional efforts related to maternal and neonatal health and well-being, especially as they may impact preeclampsia awareness and related care.  Two pieces of legislation of interest are the PREEMIE (Prematurity Research Expansion and Education) Reauthorization Act and the Birth Defects Prevention, Risk Reduction and Awareness Act.

The PREEMIE Reauthorization Act, sponsored by Reps. Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) and Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Michael Bennet (D-CO), would expand research, education and intervention activities as they relate to preterm birth.  The legislation will also work to promote the use of evidence-based standards of care for pregnant women.  The original PREEMIE Act was signed into law in December 2006, and the programs supported through the law at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal agencies and subsequent resources provided to ...

In late April, the Preeclampsia Foundation continued its federal advocacy efforts, meeting with representatives of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.  Joined by Preeclampsia Foundation Medical Advisory Board member Dr. James Martin, who was recently inducted as the President of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Foundation sought to understand the breadth of preeclampsia research being conducted across the NIH institutes and centers. 

The Foundation came to the meeting with three simple messages and requests:  the institutes should collaborate to share research findings; NIH should report its annual spending allocations dedicated to preeclampsia and related research; and NIH should work with the Foundation and other partners to more effectively improve communication about preeclampsia research findings. 

Through its efforts, the Foundation learned that 9 of the 27 institutes/centers at NIH conduct or have ...

Despite spending more money than any other country on health care, the United States has a higher maternal mortality rate than 40 other countries, with more than two women dying every day in the United States from pregnancy-related conditions, such as preeclampsia and eclampsia. “Near misses” are also important to quantify and understand. According to a 2010 report released by Amnesty International (AI), nearly 65,000 women almost died from pregnancy-related conditions in 2004 and 2005. Approximately 16% of the reported maternal deaths were due to preeclampsia and eclampsia. The AI report also indicated that as alarming as these figures are, they “probably significantly understate” the actual numbers because of the limitation of maternal health statistics currently being captured.
 
On March 3, 2011, the Maternal Health Accountability Act (H.R. 894) was introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich) to work toward establishing an accurate picture of maternal mortality ...

Creating a strong advocacy voice for preeclampsia in the halls of Congress and within the federal agencies is a multi-step process.  Great strides were made in February toward achieving this goal.

Early each calendar year, congressional offices allow organizations to submit to them spending requests and directive language in relation to federal programs that addresses the following fiscal spending year. The congressional offices then review the requests and set their priorities. The Foundation through its advocacy efforts and work with an outside government relations firm is working to cultivate strong relationships with federal lawmakers to advance preeclampsia research and programs. The Foundation's DC representatives worked with Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-California), a champion on women's health issues and a representative with strong interest in preeclampsia research. At the Foundation's urging, the congresswoman has agreed to submit congressional language ...

Policy advocacy at the federal, state or local level can be an effective way to impact the "problem" of preeclampsia in the U.S. Public awareness, research funding levels, drug development and many more issues all vie for our attention, and for the attention of the leaders and influencers who can do something about it. Please help us set our advocacy agenda by taking a brief survey by Feb. 15. The survey asks you to weigh in on what you think our advocacy priorities should be, how you can get involved, types of actions you can take (from e-mailing to meeting with elected officials and their staff), and your preferred methods of communication. Your answers are very important to us and will take less than 10 minutes to provide.
 
Visit our advocacy page to learn more about how you can let your elected officials ...