November 20, 2004
 

Pryce Secures Federal Funding for Health and Well-Being Initiatives in Central Ohio
 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Upper Arlington) today announced the approval of federal funding for many important health and well-being related projects, initiatives, and programs in Central Ohio. The funds, specifically requested by Rep. Pryce, are part of the fiscal year 2005 Omnibus Appropriations conference report.

“We are fortunate in central Ohio to have first-class medical research and educational institutions as well as experts in the field of healthcare who have the ability to use these funds to find the next medical advancements,” said Pryce. “I am honored that my colleagues in Congress see the value of investing in central Ohio’s healthcare community.”

The health and well-being initiatives for which Pryce requested federal support and which received funding from the Omnibus Appropriations Act are:

·        $1.4 million for the Ohio State Biomedical Research Tower

This project encompasses new construction of the tower and new construction and renovation of educational facilities for the College of Medicine and Public Health. These funds will help address unmet space needs in 3 critical areas: Biomedical Research; the School of Public Health; and academic/instructional space.  This amount, the highest amount that the project has ever received, brings Congresswoman Pryce’s four-year total of secured federal funding for this project to $5 million.

·        $450,000 for the Columbus Healthcare Workforce Center

            This funding will help ensure adequate delivery of healthcare for the Columbus   community by providing additional support to the five nursing colleges and universities in Columbus, Ohio that will dramatically impact the retention, graduation rate, and quality of nurse graduates for the Greater Columbus Region.          

·        $850,000 for the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Columbus, Ohio Center for Child and Family Advocacy

            The Center for Child and Family Advocacy (CCFA) is a partnership between   Columbus Children’s Hospital and the Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence.  This unprecedented relationship between service providers for child victims and adult victims of family violence developed in 2001 at Columbus and has born the first center in the U.S. with co-located child abuse and domestic violence services under one roof (to open late 2004).   The project provides funding for the comprehensive integration of coordinated services to children and their families within the Center for Child and Family Advocacy, including     treatment that begins at assessment for both victims of child abuse and of   domestic violence. 

·        $1.2 million for research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

            Columbus Children’s Hospital is paving the way for discovering a cure for         Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  This illness afflicts children and is fatal.  Researchers at Children’s Hospital are conducting groundbreaking research.  This funding will go a long way to supporting this cutting-edge research.

·        $735,000 for Cancer Research at Ohio State

            Fruit and Vegetable consumption has often been associated with a reduced risk of         digestive tract cancers. Yet, identifying specific nutrients or food components            responsible for imparting protection has proven challenging. The studies conducted by this group have demonstrated that dietary administration of freeze-dried black raspberries in animals has inhibited esophageal, oral cavity, and colon carcinogenesis. This funding, which is in addition to the $1 million which   Congresswoman Dave Hobson (R-OH) and Congresswoman Pryce secured for this project last year, will go to complete the study of the effect of this diet on humans.

·        $500,000 for ePassport

The Community College Foundation’s ePassporttm foster youth record tracking system is a secure, portable, Internet-based health and education data tracking system delivered via Smart Card.  It is being tested in Cincinnati, Columbus, Stark County, and Wayne County.  The Community College Foundation and the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy in Columbus envision ePassport complimenting Child Welfare Systems and other databases to become the national repository for foster youth records.  Continued funding secured by Rep. Pryce and her Ohio colleagues will enable the Community College Foundation to serve many more of the foster youth population in Ohio. 

·        $303 million for Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education Funding (GME)

            The independent children’s hospitals, including Columbus Children’s Hospital, were left out of a GME financing system that relies primarily on Medicare.  This funding addresses this unsustainable financial disadvantage for these institutions, enabling them to continue their teaching programs and other essential missions.

The children's hospital GME program is a sound investment in children’s health, providing stability for the future of children’s hospitals. Rep. Pryce has led congressional efforts to increase funding for this program over the last several years.

·        $1.75 million for Parent’s Anonymous

            Parents Anonymous is the nation’s oldest child abuse neglect and prevention program. The funding will conduct an at-risk family program to strengthen and expand nationwide services to families to prevent child abuse, neglect and juvenile delinquency. It will also establish a national parent helpline for parents in crisis.

·        $750,000 for National Childhood Cancer Foundation

The mission of the National Childhood Cancer Foundation is to cure childhood cancer by supporting the cooperative research of the Children's Oncology Group (COG). COG conducts ground-breaking research and gives state-of-the-art care to infants, children, teens, and young adults with cancer at over 235 institutions throughout North America.  The funding secured by Pryce will help COG advance the pace of clinical trials targeted at all major types of childhood cancer. 

Congresswoman Pryce represents the Fifteenth District of Ohio, which includes Western Franklin County, Madison, and Union Counties.  She serves as Chairman of the House Republican Conference for the 108th Congress, making her the fourth-ranking member of House leadership.

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