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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