Washington | December 15, 2006 - Helping to debut the new research center at Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children, Delaware Congressman Mike Castle and Miss Delaware 2006, Jamie Ginn, announced their fight against digestive illness in children -- specifically Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, (collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease).

Together they highlighted new federal legislation -- the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Act -- to increase pediatric research, genetic and environmental-based research, training for new investigators and the creation of a CDC action plan.  This will be a top healthcare priority for Castle in the upcoming Congressional session.

            Because of her sister's fight with the disease, Ms. Jamie Ginn has chosen the issue of inflammatory bowel disease as her advocacy priority for the 2006 Miss America pageant.

"Inflammatory bowel disease comes in the form of Crohn's and Colitis -- both of which are extremely uncomfortable and potentially quite dangerous.  We in Washington pour around $28.4 billion each year into the National Institutes of Health to study the basic science of many diseases.  Yet, I believe we can be doing more in the area of inflammatory bowel disease," Castle said.

"For example, we need to focus more on kids and teenagers and how the disease and its complications affect them for the short-term and long-term.  We need to better understand the causes of Crohn's and Colitis -- to see if there is anything we can do on the prevention side or at least the early treatment side.  We need to create a national education strategy for this disease."

-- A fact sheet regarding the bill is copied below --

Goals of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Act:

1.       Expand inflammatory bowel disease research at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the NIH, with a specific focus on:

• Pediatric related research
• Genetic and environmental based research into the cause and progression of IBD.
• Clinical research, including translational studies and treatment trials.
• Support for the training of new investigators specializing in IBD.

2.       Require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop and submit to Congress a "National Inflammatory Bowel Disease Action Plan." This plan would detail a comprehensive strategy for addressing the burden of IBD in both pediatric and adult populations, including mechanisms for:

• Increasing public awareness of IBD
• Determining the true prevalence of the disease in the United States
• Increasing awareness of IBD in the health care community to facilitate more timely and accurate diagnoses
• Preventing the progression of the disease and the development of complications such as colorectal cancer.