Sen. Shelley Moore Capito made her way to Capitol Market in Charleston Monday evening to celebrate the signing of a bill trying to end Parkinson’s disease.
The Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, which was signed by President Joe Biden on July 2, will make an advisory council to coordinate research and services for those affected by Parkinson’s disease.
This advisory council will write a national plan to find a cure for Parkinson’s, as well as lessen the top symptoms. In addition, this bill will aim to alleviate some of the financial burden on those affected by the disease, whether that be the person with the disease, their family, or their caregivers.
Capito has been persistent in the advancement of this bill, as it was originally brought up to legislation by her in 2022, with a reintroduction in 2023.
According to Capito, the persistence she brought to this bill stemmed from the loss of both of her parents to a different brain disease.
“I have parents who died from Alzheimer’s,” Capito said. “It’s amazing to me that when you bring a passion from someone you love so deeply, in my case, both of the ones I love so deeply, it really, really makes you work that much harder.”
Capito said the introduction of this bill will impact the state’s educational institutions in their research and patient care programs.
“This bill I think will be really impactful to the educational institutions that we have to train our medical professionals,” Capito said.
Capito recognized members from West Virginia University, Marshall University and CAMC Hospitals during her speech.
She said the brain and its diseases provide plenty of mysteries, but she thinks the state of West Virginia is right on the cusp of getting some solutions.
“This brain that we carry around with us every day, there’s so many mysteries left, and West Virginia is on the cutting edge of unlocking these mysteries, and I couldn’t be more excited about what I see going on here,” Capito said.
While this bill will open new doors in the treatment and finances related to Parkinson’s disease, Capito said there’s one goal she and her team are trying to reach.
“What we’re really going for is a cure,” Capito said. “We’re not going to rest easy until we find a cure, and we will find a cure. We will find a cure because we can, and we will.”
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, more than 10 million people worldwide are living with the disease, with nearly 90,000 people each year diagnosed in the United States.
