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Congressman Murtha’s mission to improve access to preventative medicine, expand medical research, and ensure that health care is affordable has benefited people across our country.
In 2003, he found out through the Air Force Surgeon General that 144,000 Air Force personnel and members of their family have diabetes. Determined to reverse the diabetes epidemic in the military as well as throughout Western Pennsylvania, he has directed funding to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Diabetes Institute for diabetes prevention, education and outreach, which is having significant success on military installations and across rural communities. He has also directed funding to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh to continue research and clinical trials for a cure to Type 1 diabetes.
Congressman Murtha has worked with breast cancer survivor advocate groups to provide over $2.35 billion for breast cancer research through the Department of Defense. This funding has led to state-of-the-art research for detecting and treating breast cancer, and has resulted in early detection technologies like imaging tools and molecular studies that yield more reliable results.
He secured funding to create a world-class breast health facility at Windber Medical Center, Pennsylvania. The state-of-the-art patient-friendly facility offers digital mammography, genetic counseling and educational programs to patients.
Congressman Murtha has forged partnerships between Western Pennsylvania hospitals and world-renowned military institutions such as Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. One of these partnerships has led to research that could revolutionize the early detection and treatment of breast cancer and significantly advance efforts to eradicate the disease.
He is also a strong supporter of research initiatives in women's health, osteoporosis, neurofibromatosis, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, tuberous sclerosis and chronic myelogenous leukemia.
Congressman Murtha has fought to maintain adequate funding for Medicare and Medicaid, recognizing not only that these programs are essential for the care of millions of Americans, but also for the financial viability of hospitals, which have been forced to absorb large financial losses because of inadequate reimbursements. He convinced resistant administrators at Medicare to pay for elderly flu shots and has supported home-health initiatives designed to help keep people in the familiar surroundings of their homes and avoid the high cost of nursing homes.
Congressman Murtha is also a supporter of telemedicine, which is helping to provide better care at lower costs by linking patients and their doctors with medical information and diagnosis even if when separated by miles. Telemedicine also makes key information more readily available in emergencies. He has secured funding for the Center of Excellence for Remote and Medically Under-Served Areas (CERMUSA) as a research and applied technology center for telemedicine technology.
Congressman Murtha co-authored child hospice legislation to establish a national program to help children who face life-threatening illnesses and their families. The legislation provided grants to children's hospitals, hospices and home health agencies to train and educate those who care for the children on how to provide end-of-life care and for the National Institutes of Health to conduct research in pain and symptom management in children. A second part of the bill created Medicare and private market demonstration programs to allow for the integration of curative and palliative care, easing the burden on doctors and parents to make end-of-life decisions for children.
When Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was about to be killed by federal regulations, he convinced the White House to be more flexible and saved the children's health care program. The Pennsylvania CHIP program later became a model for the national CHIP model.
Congressman Murtha worked with the Defense Department to develop the Defense and Veterans Head Injury Program, which, supports research and tracks those with head injuries to better evaluate various treatment methods. In 2007, his efforts resulted in $450 million for Traumatic Brain Injury research and $450 million for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) counseling.
When the Miners Health Benefits Fund was short on cash and threatening to be eliminated, his leadership secured funding that kept the healthcare program in operation.
Congressman Murtha partnered with Congressman Bill Young of Florida to expand the Navy's bone marrow registry into the National Bone Marrow registry. Their efforts dramatically increased the chances for people to find a compatible donor for bone marrow.
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