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Posted by Carolyn Slye on March 22, 1998 at 10:50:19:I just logged off The Sleep Well web site. This is Dr. William Dement site from Stanford. Most of us owe a great deal to Dr. Dement. He is one of the pioneer of the research that defined sleep. He is a sleep activist along with others that has brought Congressional and Nationwide attention to sleep and its ramifications.
The Sleep Well is located at:
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~dement/They have posted the following that is important to all of us with sleep disorders.
ACTION ALERT!!
“On March 25, 1998, a House Concurrent Resolution will be introduced by Congressman John Dingell and others, which encourages better use of existing research on sleep by federal and state authorities for better education and training; calls for Congressional support of any additional research needed to address sleep disorders; facilitates better diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders by health professionals; and supports improved efforts to help researchers, accident investigators and law enforcement officials so that transportation and workplace accidents can be reduced.
If you would like to help, call or fax your Representative and ask them to support this resolution!
On March 26, 1998, there will be Hearing of the Health and Environment Subcommittee at 10:30 am (Press conference at 9:45am) at 2123 Rayburn House Office Building in Washington,D.C.
The hard work of a few sleep activists has paid off. Dr. William Dement will be testifying on sleep deprivation and sleep disorders in America and what can be done to address these problems.”
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Please check out The Sleep Well. There is other information on this. They have links for you to find out who your Representatives are and how to contact them if you do not know. They also have a sample letter that can assist you in this.If we the people that suffer with sleep disorders do not speak out and tell Congress or bring National attention to this problem, who do we think will? How do we expect research to continue without funding? Without funding this is no education of physicians or the general public. It is easy to sit at home, leave it up to others and complain about the fact that physicians do not understand sleep disorders, or that the treatment you now have is perhaps not that easy to live with. Speaking out is the only solution. Until we as a group decide to YELL about sleep disorders nothing will be accomplished for a long time to come. We can let the Dr. Dements’s do our work or we can get out there and be a part of the solution. NOTHING, IS ALL THAT IS EVER ACCOMPLISHED BY DOING NOTHING.
A note for those of you who have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). I have severe obstructive sleep apnea that nearly cost me my life therefore my passion comes from deep within. Lauren Ero who is a contributer to this forum was appointed Membership Coordinator and Information Specialist for the American Sleep Apnea Association. I am sure we wish her the best. She has been most informative in posting to newsgroups and has helped many of you. Those of you who belong to an A.W.A.K.E. support group, ASAA is the organization that supports and helps keeps these groups informed of what is going on in the field of research and patient education.
I would like to again emphasize the important of financially supporting this organization. This organization reaches out to you the patient it needs your membership that is $25 a year. This organization is the instrument to getting educational information out about Sleep Apnea. There needs to be more money in order to be able to do this effectively. It is your disease it is your choice!
To contact the American Sleep Apnea Association:
http://www.sleepapnea.org
asaa@nicom.com
phone: 202-293-3650 in Washington, D. C.
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