Retired Carson High teacher Brian Reedy to attend Parkinson’s Policy Forum in Washington, D.C.

Retired Carson High School teacher Brian Reedy of Carson City will join more than 300 other advocates in Washington, D.C. March 19-21 to meet with their Members of Congress to share their stories of the personal impact Parkinson’s disease has made on their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

Delegates will educate lawmakers on the need for federal funding for research toward a cure for Parkinson’s, and policy support for those living with the disease.

The Parkinson’s Policy Forum is co-hosted by the Parkinson’s Foundation and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. The event is also supported by nine other Parkinson’s organizations across the country. The 2018 Parkinson’s Policy Forum will feature two days of training, followed by one day of advocacy, congressional outreach and education to Members of Congress on Capitol Hill.

Meanwhile, ahead of the Washington, D.C. event, Reedy and his group CareLiving for All, will host two local events, one at Carson Tahoe Health Monday, March 12 in Carson City and the other Tuesday, March 13 at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. The guest speaker for the events is Lauren Paglisotti, Community Engagement Officer for the Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research. Go here for more information.

Brian and other attendees will receive tools to develop and hone their skills for effective public policy advocacy as they prepare to meet with their senators and representatives.

Attendees will hear from scientific and policy experts at the Parkinson’s Foundation and The Michael J. Fox Foundation on the latest developments in PD research. Panelists also will highlight recent legislative action to increase access to health care services, including the elimination of the Medicare therapy cap, which advocates worked for many years to remove.

Brian will meet with Senators’ Heller and Cortez and representatives Amodei, Rosen, and Kihuen and their staff to talk about the need to provide federal funding for Parkinson’s research programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Defense.

“I am honored to attend the 2018 Parkinson’s Policy Forum to represent the Parkinson’s community on Capitol Hill on these important issues,” said Brian Reedy. “I reach out to my Senators and Representative year-round at town halls and local meetings, as well as through email and phone calls,” he added, “but the chance to come together with hundreds of people like me, share our journey and show our nation’s leaders what it means to live with Parkinson’s disease is powerful.”

The Parkinson’s Policy Forum is an annual event for people with Parkinson’s and their families, care partners, and friends who are interested in public policy advocacy. Advocates from nearly all 50 states convene in Washington, D.C. for educational sessions, and meet face-to-face with their Members of Congress and their staff.

About the Parkinson’s Foundation
The Parkinson’s Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson’s disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson’s community. For more information, visit www.parkinson.org or call (800) 4PD-INFO (473-4636).

About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
As the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinson's patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors and volunteers. In addition to funding more than $800 million in research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure.

Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinson's research, the Foundation forges groundbreaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic scientists and government research funders; increases the flow of participants into Parkinson's disease clinical trials with its online tool, Fox Trial Finder; promotes Parkinson's awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around the world. For more information, visit us on the Web, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

About Parkinson’s Disease
Affecting an estimated 1 million Americans and 10 million worldwide, Parkinson’s disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s and is the 14th-leading cause of death in the United States. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for Parkinson’s and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States alone.