In the picture from left: Sarah Miller, Student at New England College of Optometry; Joan Lowbridge-Sisley, Community Health Education Coordinator at Partners for Healthier Communities; Bruce Moore, OD, New England College of Optometry and Co-Chair of CVMA; Kathy Majzoub, Director of Prevent Blindness Northeast Region and Co-Chair of CVMA; Stacy Lyons, OD, New England College of Optometry; Marcia Feist Moore, Prevent Blindness Volunteer; Julia Fredrick, Legislative Correspondent to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren; Erin Sutton DiSanto, HR Manager, Community Catalyst andHealth Care For All; and Priscilla Kelangi, Manager of Communications and Resource Development forPrevent Blindness Northeast Region.
Prevent Blindness held its 11th annual “Eyes on Capitol Hill” program on Tuesday, July 12, 2016, in Washington, D.C. Members of Children’s Vision Massachusetts Coalition and Prevent Blindness met with congressional and senate members, and their staff to advocate about vision and eye health, specifically about children’s vision care issues. It was a large group of members representing Massachusetts this year. The members included eye doctors, student, educator, and a parent.
“For more than a decade, Prevent Blindness has helped to provide those that have been deeply impacted by vision loss and vision issues an opportunity to discuss their experiences with our government representatives through our Eyes On Capitol Hill program,” said Priscilla Kelangi, Manager of Communications and Resource Development of Prevent Blindness Northeast Region. “We are proud to continue this effort to advocate for the importance of sight-saving programs and research.”
The Eyes on Capitol Hill meetings have been scheduled to specifically ask elected officials to:
- Provide $1,500,000 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 to strengthen vision and eye health efforts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Provide at least $3,294,000 for the Glaucoma Project at CDC in FY 2017.
- Support the Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s (MCHB) National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health (the Center) in developing a public health infrastructure to promote and ensure a continuum of vision and eye health care for children.
- Provide $770 million to the National Eye Institute in FY 2017.
- Cosponsor HR 1312/S 898, the National Health Service Corps Improvement Act.
- Join theCongregational Vision Caucus.