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Updates from Washington

Your Voice Made a Difference: 2018 Advocacy Highlights

Capital Building

In 2018, as always, Parkinson's advocates spoke up loud and clear for the policy needs of our community. From January to October, nearly 18,000 people contacted their lawmakers more than 52,000 times to voice their opinions on research funding, health care access and more.

Thank you to every person who took action in 2018! By telling policymakers what is fundamentally important to people with Parkinson's and their loved ones, you helped shape Congress members' decision-making.

This year, our community:

Public Policy Team Speaks Out for Parkinson's Community
In addition to the above topics, the Foundation also advocated for a number of additional policy issues to better support people with Parkinson's and their loved ones. Our Public Policy team conducted hundreds of meetings on Capitol Hill and sent thousands of letters to lawmakers this year. Among other accomplishments, they hosted two educational briefings for members of Congress, helped expand telemedicine services for veterans and spoke up for new laws that increase access to lower-cost prescriptions.

Advocacy Takes New Shape in 2019
Next year, the Foundation will work to enhance the network of grassroots Parkinson's advocates by establishing Fox 435. This program will seek to identify and train at least one community advocacy leader in each of the 435 congressional districts across the United States. These leaders will educate lawmakers on how policy impacts the Parkinson's community and will serve as a resource for other individuals looking to get involved in this work, helping to expand the number of passionate advocates throughout the country speaking out for policy change.

Download the Foundation's "2018 in Review, 2019 in Focus" booklet for more research and policy highlights, and info on what's to come next year.

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