U.S. Residents: Sign the Letter Below by September 9th, 2026 to Ask your Senators and Representative in Congress to support additional funding for rare blood disorders that would support new ITP initiatives.
Background Public Health Approach to Blood Disorders initiative at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For more than a decade, this program has been level-funded each year at $10.4 million. While it is intended to serve all rare blood disorders, with limited resources it can only maintain successful efforts focused on hemophilia and sickle cell disease.
Take Action : Please ask your Members of Congress to actively support at least a $2 million funding increase for the CDC's Public Health Approach to Blood Disorders program as they work to finalize the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 appropriations bills .
The CDC is currently under a congressional mandate to start additional public health work in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) through this program to improve patient care. However, the agency cannot begin crucial activities (modeled on the successful efforts in hemophilia and sickle cell disease) until they have additional, reliable funding to implement them.
The more members of Congress that actively support this funding request, the more likely it is that the money will be included in the final FY 2027 appropriations bills. By contacting your Senators and Representative, you can help establish new public health resources for the ITP community, advance research and education efforts, and improve care for individuals living with ITP. As a constituent, your voice can make a meaningful difference.
Dear Member of Congress,
I write today as a constituent and as an advocate for the community of individuals impacted by Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) to request your support for securing modest resources to implement public health activities focused on research and improved patient care through the FY 2027 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Process. Over recent years, Congress has provided committee instructions directing HHS to initiate new ITP activities through existing programs that serve patients with rare blood disorders and modeled on successful efforts in hemophilia and sickle cell disease. However, without additional funding HHS is unable to move forward with dedicated activities for the community and we hope your office will actively support our FY 2027 funding and report language requests below as Congress works to finalize the annual spending bills.
Program Request
Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) Centers of Excellent Network – The Committee continues to encourage CDC to support the establishment of an ITP treatment centers of excellence pilot program to advance public health, medical research, and patient care opportunities and has provided $2 million for this purpose. The committee seeks to build on the infrastructure and progress in conditions like hemophilia and sickle cell disease by expanding critical work into other rare blood disorders.
Recommended Report Language
Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) – The Committee commends NIH for its efforts to advance research into rare blood disorders and encourages further progress through the establishment of an ITP Centers of Excellence network that coordinates cross-cutting research activities at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute with potential public health work opportunities through the CDC and its Public Health Approaches to Rare Blood Disorders Program. The Committee encourages NIH to dedicate at least $2 million to the ITP Centers of Excellence Network and to provide an update on the next potential steps.
Thank you for your time and for your consideration of my request.
Sincerely,
