This year poses significant challenges — and opportunities — for CFIDS advocates. Much of the government’s policy agenda remains focused on the war in Afghanistan and homeland security. Several top posts in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) remain vacant, slowing decision-making and implementation of programs. Surgeon General David Satcher, who has been sensitized to CFIDS issues as the chairman of the DHHS CFS Coordinating Committee (CFSCC), left office in February with no named replacement. And the weakened economy has strained the federal budget, leading to predictions for cuts in most government programs.

Yet the landscape isn’t entirely bleak. This is an election year in which all members of the House of Representatives and one-third of U.S. Senators are campaigning, making them more accessible and often more responsive to constituents. The CFSCC is still on track to become a full-fledged advisory committee, strengthening the influence of non-federal researchers and advocates. And CFIDS continues to be highly visible within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention due to the CFIDS funding scandal that triggered a complete overhaul of financial management practices and restoration of $12.9 million diverted to other programs.

Hitting the Hill for Lobby Day
The Association’s 11th annual Lobby Day is set for March 20–21 in Washington, D.C., and we’re anticipating a record number of participants and meetings with legislators. Even if you can’t be part of the group going to Capitol Hill, you can take part in the effort to educate members of Congress about CFIDS.

Contact your members’ offices by phone, fax or e-mail. Attend town meetings with your Congressman in your local area; these are certain to be more frequent as the campaign season gets under way. Request a meeting with your member during Congressional recess or on weekends they spend in the district. CFIDS Awareness Day, May 12, is an excellent time to contact public officials and/or reporters about CFIDS.

For details on how to send an effective message to Washington, visit our web site at www.cfids.org.

News briefs

• On Dec. 11, 2001 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a new research program announcement (PA) soliciting applications that will improve diagnosis and treatment of CFS and lead to a better quality of life for patients. The PA is sponsored by eight NIH institutes and three offices, reflecting a broader interest in CFS research than was evident in past years.
  
• The Name Change Working Group of the CFSCC received thousands of replies to a proposal to launch a new term, chronic neuroendocrineimmune dysfunction syndrome (CNDS), as an alternative to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The CFIDS Associa-tion provided financial support to DePaul University’s Leonard Jason, PhD, to query health care providers about the proposed term. Both groups are now evaluating those responses and developing interim reports.
  
• Efforts to strengthen grassroots advocacy and foster Congressional champions continued this year with advocate meetings in Providence, R.I. and New Haven, Conn. on Jan.17 and 18, respectively. Lobbyist Tom Sheridan and I met with small, but motivated, groups to generate local activities in Congressional districts represented by Patrick Kennedy and Rosa DeLauro, both of whom are health appropriators responsible for setting research funding levels.