Congress Preserves Program Essential to Quality Hydrocephalus Research
During recent consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act, the Hydrocephalus Association joined a coalition of other groups to preserve the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP)—and we succeeded! Working together with groups like the Defense Health Research Consortium, we once again avoided Congressional imposition of draconian administrative burdens on funding research projects. President Trump is expected to sign the bill the week of August 14th.
Grants awarded through the CDMRP have led to breakthroughs on a range of disorders and conditions impacting the health and lives of the U.S. military. Initially, this program did not include hydrocephalus as one of the conditions to be studied. Thanks to you, our advocates, that changed in 2014 when CDMRP added hydrocephalus to the list of eligible conditions. Since then, some legislators have attempted to alter the program in ways that would essentially eliminate it. We’ve been at the forefront of ensuring it remains a valuable resource for efforts to find additional treatments and potentially a cure. In fact, hydrocephalus researchers have been awarded grants totaling over $2,000,000 for work in identifying drugs that both protect people from getting hydrocephalus as well reduce the severity of the hydrocephalus.
With the program protected, our attention now turns to the actual dollars available to CDMRP, which will be determined in the appropriations process. Stay tuned for more information as well as how you can help!