Senate Appropriators Recognize Research Funding Decline

COMMITTEE REPORTS
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS
Senate Report 108-345 - To accompany S. 2810
Sept. 15, 2004

National Institutes of Health (NIH):
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome [CFS].—The Committee is disappointed that NIH funding for CFS has basically remained flat in recent years, despite repeated congressional requests for increases. In addition, several grants represented to be for CFS research have limited direct relevance to CFS. The Committee notes that the Office of Research on Women’s Health, through the Trans-NIH Working Group for Research on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, is working on a request for applications [RFA] based on the findings of a June 2003 scientific workshop on CFS. The Committee strongly urges the NIH to fund this RFA as soon as possible. The Committee also urges the NIH to expand the involvement of intramural researchers in the study of CFS.

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA):
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome [CFS] patients’ most crucial need is for effective, compassionate medical care. Through its demonstration grants program, HRSA has experience in piloting new, efficient ways of delivering health care services to those with emerging illnesses. The Committee encourages HRSA to develop model CFS clinical centers with the goal of delivering effective, multidisciplinary clinical care to persons with CFS.

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC):
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.—The Committee commends the CDC for building the leading CFS program in the Nation, supporting crucial population studies, clinical and laboratory research and education. The Committee directs CDC to provide sufficient resources to maintain the high caliber of this program. The Committee is very interested in CDC efforts to document the economic impact of the illness, to identify biomarkers using genomic and proteomics technology and to address health care providers’ inability to appropriately diagnose and treat CFS. Further, the Committee encourages CDC to better inform the public about this condition, its severity and magnitude and to use heightened awareness to create a registry of CFS patients to aid research in this field.