Our sixth Headache on the Hill event will be held on April 8 and 9, 2013.
For more information, see the HOH 2013 FAQ and the HOH 2013 Participant Application.
Thank you to everyone who supported this initiative!
The time for signing thee petition to Congress regarding a Congressional hearing on the impact of Migraine, cluster headaches, and other headache disorders has now passed.
Take Action!
The petition to Congress asking them to hold the first ever Congressional hearing on the impact of Migraine, cluster headaches, and other headache disorders is still open for signatures. You can help by signing it AND by encouraging other people to sign it. We’ve prepared a one-page flyer that you can download then email to others or print and hand out. Download the flyer.
Headache on the Hill 2012
AHDA Press Release
Representative Michele Bachmann Casts Light on the Neglected Burden of Migraine in America:
Headache on the Hill 2011
February 2011 Update
To date, the AHDA has organized three Headache on the Hill events:
- September, 2007: 45 participants from 29 states visited 136 Congressional offices.
- February, 2009: 35 participants from 27 states visited 127 Congressional offices.
- February, 2010: 52 participants from 35 states visited 144 Congressional offices.
The next Headache on the Hill event is scheduled for May 31 and June 1, 2011.
For more about what the AHDA has accomplished, please see our February 2011 ADHA Overview.
July 2010 Update
We’re pleased to update you on the interim progress of 2010 AHDA legislative efforts.
As previously mentioned, 2009 AHDA efforts led to report language regarding headache disorders that was included in the fiscal year 2010 House appropriations bill (see report language). This report language specifically requested that NIH send a report on their progress towards defining Headache Disorders Research Benchmarks to the Committees on Appropriations. The NIH report that resulted from this congressional request outlined the NIH programs that have been available over the past several years for headache researchers, as well as the steps NIH has taken to organize the major research planning meeting which ultimately took place in Bethesda, MD on May 16th and 17th.
Headache on the Hill 2009 – Invitation
Colleagues
We’re delighted to announce that the second Headache on the Hill (HOH) advocacy event will be held in Washington, DC on Monday, February 23rd and Tuesday, February 24th 2009. We hope that you can make this event.
The long-term goal of the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy is to provide equitable NIH funding for research on headache disorders. You might ask, why bother going to Congress now, when the prospects for increased discretionary spending appear to be so dim? First of all, we intend to make specific programmatic requests of Congress during HOH that should have lasting benefits but that will require relatively modest short-term increases in NIH expenditures. Secondly, this spring is a unique advocacy opportunity: the “honeymoon” of a new Democratic President and a Democratic Congress promises action on a broad legislative agenda. Continue reading
Summary of 2008 Activity
An open meeting of the people interested in the AHDA was held on Friday June 27, 2008 at 10:30 a.m., during the 50th Annual Scientific meeting of the American Headache Society in Boston.
Also at 50th Annual Scientific meeting of the American Headache Society, a letter from Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services was presented. This letter celebrated the 50th anniversary of the AHS and the 15th anniversary of MAGNUM. Leavitt also applauded the efforts of the AHDA.
Update on AHDA advocacy efforts:
- Our proposed congressional appropriations report language* is due to be discussed (“marked up”) later this month in the L-HHS Subcommittees of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees. 12 Representatives and 2 Senators made specific written requests to the L-HHS Subcommittees to include our language in the appropriations reports. While such inclusion would not carry the weight and force of law, it would provide NIH with the sentiment of Congress on this issue and we are told would be taken very seriously by NIH. We are very optimistic that our language, in whole or in part, will be included in the reports.
- To date, over 800 grassroots activists, representing > 75% of congressional districts nationwide, have signed-up at the AHDA website to participate in our advocacy efforts. Their emails this spring were instrumental in obtaining congressional support for our report language.
- The AHDA is now incorporated in Vermont. By-laws have been drafted.
Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy 