On February 10, 2009, hundreds of people affected by congenital heart defects traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the National Congenital Heart Lobby Day. This event was put together by the National Heart Coalition in an effort to meet with lawmakers and garner their support for the first-ever CHD specific legislation called The Congenital Heart Futures Act.
Members of Helping Hands, Healing Hearts were able to meet personally with Representative Jim Langevin and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. We also met with staffers from Representative Patrick Kennedy's office, as well as staffers from Senator Jack Reed's office.
The Congenital Heart Futures Act would provide federal funding for a national registry, CHD research and education, and will help prevent premature death and disability in this rapidly-growing and severely underserved population. For more information about CHD Lobby Day, please visit www.achaheart.org.
