The bipartisan  H.R. 2178, the Cerebral Palsy Research Program Authorization Act, has been introduced that would create the first-ever CP federal research program to investigate prevention, diagnosis, treatment and the societal costs of cerebral palsy, the most prevalent life-long physical disability.

• CP is the most common motor disability in children, affecting more than 1 in every 345 children, totaling more than 1,000,000 Americans and 17,000,000 people worldwide.
• In more than 80% of CP diagnoses the cause is unknown.
• CP affects more people than spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, Down syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, childhood cancer and cystic fibrosis. 
• 75% of people with CP also have one or more other developmental disabilities.

H.R. 2178 would allocate $5,000,000 for CP research and would encourage the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to conduct an updated study of its 2003 report on the healthcare and societal costs of CP in the US. The appropriations bill also contains language urging the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a Cerebral Palsy Strategic Planning workshop focusing on early detection and intervention.

This modest appropriations request is a necessary first step in securing Federal resources and attention to reduce and minimize the impact of CP. 

Please take action today by using the tools on this page to demand Congress begin to address this huge disparity in Federal medical research spending by approving the Cerebral Palsy Research Program Authorization Act.