Clinical Trial: New or Ongoing Studies for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or Pediatric Chronic Abdominal Pain, June 2013

Below is a selection of studies that have come to the attention of IBS Impact through various sources in the last few months. In most cases, the description below is a summary of major qualifications and details available, and other restrictions may apply.  If interested, please contact each listed sponsor or study site directly for further information.

Online Survey on the Impact of IBS on Daily Life and Well-Being, Center of Psychosocial Research In GI at Northwestern University.

Conducted by Sarah Ballou, a clinical psychology doctoral student under the supervision of Laurie Keefer, PhD.

Adults ages 18-70 with IBS. Not eligible if you have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, are currently pregnant or have given birth in the last 12 weeks.

Estimated completion time 20- 25 minutes. Demographic details (age, sex, race, education level, etc.) are asked, but not your name.  http://cprgi.org/announcements/do-you-have-ibs/  (Information from CPRGI’s social media and website)

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Phase III Rifaximin Re-Treatment Study for IBS with Diarrhea (IBS-D), sponsored by Salix Pharmaceuticals

Estimated enrollment of 800 adults at 250-300 study sites throughout the United States. Randomized and double blind, 550 mg. Rifaximin or placebo, three times daily for 7-14 days, plus followup, then re-treatment and followup for those who respond to the initial phase of treatment. Time commitment will vary depending on the response to treatment.

Open to men and women at least 18 years old with a confirmed Rome III criteria diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome, colonoscopy within the last 10 years to rule out inflammatory bowel disease, willing to maintain a stable diet including vitamins and supplements.

Not eligible if you have diabetes, lactose intolerance not controlled by a lactose free diet, are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, lactating, have a history of HIV or hepatitis B or C,  have taken any antibiotic in the last 60 days or have participated in any other investigational study in the last 30 days.

Contact Rachel Ballard at rachel.ballard@salix.com or Alyson Lineberry at alyson.lineberry@salix.com (Information summarized by IBS Impact from IFFGD and the Salix Rifaximin re-treatment study listing on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.)

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Phase II Plecanitide Study for IBS with Constipation (IBS-C) sponsored by Synergy Pharmaceuticals

Estimated enrollment of 350 adults at over 60 study sites in many U.S. states. Participants will be assigned to groups for an oral daily medication of plecanitide at one of five different doses or placebo for 12 weeks.

Open to men and women ages 18-75 who meet Rome III criteria for IBS with constipation. Several other criteria and possible exclusions apply.

For more information, see the CIBS Study website. (Information summarized by IBS Impact from the CIBS Study Website and the Synergy plecanitide studylisting on the Clinical Trials.gov website.)

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Mothers of Children ages 4-18 With or Without Chronic Abdominal Pain, Phone Study by the University of North Carolina

The UNC Center for Functional GI and Motility Disorders is seeking mothers of children ages 4-18 either with a physician diagnosis of functional abdominal pain, recurrent abdominal pain or IBS or mothers of children without chronic abdominal pain as a control group.

The study involves one phone interview with a study investigator about family medical history. This will be scheduled at a mutually convenient time and last 15 minutes to 1 hour depending on the complexity of your history.

The purpose is to study the possible role of low energy metabolism (mitochondrial dysfunction) in chronic pain conditions. There is some scientific evidence suggesting that this may be inherited from the mother’s side of the family.

Participants will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card, one for the chronic pain group and one for the control group.

For more information see the UNC pediatric abdominal pain study website or email abdominalpainstudy@unc.edu (Information summarized by IBS Impact from the above website and the Center’s Spring 2013 newsletter)

While IBS Impact attempts to highlight a diversity of available opportunities, this is not intended as an exhaustive list. Previous posts on open clinical trials for IBS can be found by clicking the clinical trials category in the blog archives on the upper right sidebar of this blog. We also have a page for IBS studies on the main IBS Impact site. The research and links pages and the July 26, 2011 post provide additional general resources.

We welcome researchers affiliated with academic, medical or pharmaceutical entities, or reputable organizations representing IBS or related or commonly overlapping conditions, to contact us directly with additional studies they wish to be considered for posting. Contact links for the founder/listowner and the webmaster can be found on the home page of the main IBS Impact website.

IBS Impact makes these study announcements available for general information, and encourages its members and site visitors to make their own individual, informed choices about their potential participation in any study.  IBS Impact, as an entity, is not directly affiliated with any research sponsor and receives no funding from any source for studies or links we feature on this blog, the main site or social media.

Representative McGovern of Massachusetts Co-Sponsors HR 842 for Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders

According to THOMAS, the Library of Congress legislative database, and IFFGD/the Digestive Health Alliance,  on June 6, 2013, one day after Digestive Health Congressional Call-In Day, Representative James (Jim) McGovern (D-MA-2)  signed on as a co-sponsor to the Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act of 2013.

Representative McGovern is serving his ninth term as a member of the House of Representatives. He currently represents Massachusetts’ 2nd district in the central part of the state, including large portions of Worcester, Hampshire and Franklin Counties and small sections of Hampden and Norfolk Counties. According to Representative McGovern’s official House website, he has a record of supporting many pieces of legislation on health or veterans’ issues.  As previously discussed on this blog on August 12, 2011 and August 25, 2011, military service members and veterans are at disproportionately high risk for functional gastrointestinal disorders like IBS, which are already very common in the general population.

If you are a constituent of Representative McGovern, please take a few minutes to write or call with your thanks for his support of HR 842 and the functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders community.

In officially supporting HR 842, Representative McGovern joins the lead sponsor, Representative F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI-5) and co-sponsors, Representative James Moran (D-VA-8), Representative Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL-1),  Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI-5), Representative Ron Kind (D-WI-3), Representative Susan Davis (D-CA-53), and Representative Peter Welch (D-VT). U.S. citizens residing in the districts of Representative McGovern’s colleagues listed here, please thank them as well. Although Congressional Call-In Day is over for this year, ongoing advocacy for HR 842 needs to continue every day.

According to the information on THOMAS, it appears that the bill is currently under consideration in the Subcommittee on Health. Click on the link above if you would like to see a list of its members.

U. S. citizens, if your Member of Congress is not yet a co-sponsor of HR 842 and you have not contacted him or her recently to ask for his or her support, please see the previous post from March 2, 2013  for links to the bill and more details on how to do so.  Often, it takes multiple attempts to elicit any interest from legislators, so if you do not receive a reply, do not hesitate to try again or to switch contact methods until you attract attention. Keep in mind that your Representative may be different from before because of the 2012 elections, district boundaries that may have been re-drawn, or if you have moved.

Your personal experiences as a person with IBS and/or other functional GI/motility disorders, or as a concerned family member, friend or colleague, are most effective in communicating to legislators and their staff that there are real human beings behind the statistics. However, even general expressions of support are helpful.

HR 842 is bipartisan legislation (supported by members of both parties) and according to IFFGD discussions with IBS Impact,  is “revenue-neutral,” meaning that there will be no additional taxes or spending added to the current federal deficit if it is enacted. Discretionary funds are available at the National Institutes of Health to be allocated if Congress directs NIH, through this Act, that functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders are a priority. Congress will only do so if we, as a community, are able to show them the importance of the research, education and FDA coordination provided for in HR 842.

NIH grants funding to researchers throughout the world, not just in the U.S., so in the long run, enactment of this Act may also benefit readers with IBS in other countries. Medical research also sometimes involves multinational teams of scientists, and in any case, study results are usually published globally, adding to the cumulative knowledge worldwide.

It is IBS Impact’s understanding that HR 842 will not require a debate or vote on the floor of the House of Representatives, and will pass as soon as it reaches 218 sponsor/cosponsors, or a simple majority of the House. In order for this milestone to be accomplished during the current Congress, the 113th,  the necessary number of sponsor/cosponsors must be reached by December 2014. Every two years, the Congressional membership will be different as a result of elections. Thus, if HR 842 has not passed by that time,  a similar bill will have to be reintroduced and the FGIMD community will have to start the process of gathering co-sponsors anew. This is what occurred with HR 2239 in 2012. While it is quite common for legislation of various sorts to take several Congresses to pass, our continuing advocacy now can increase awareness, build momentum and perhaps accelerate passage. It is in our hands.

Check back on this blog or join IBS Impact’s Facebook page or Twitter feed for further updates on HR 842 as they occur. Links to the social media sites can be found on the right sidebar of the blog.

Representative Welch of Vermont Co-Sponsors HR 842. Congressional Call-In Day for Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders is June 5, 2013

According to THOMAS, the Library of Congress legislative database, and IFFGD/the Digestive Health Alliance, as of mid-May 2013, Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) has signed on as a co-sponsor to the Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act of 2013.

Representative Welch is serving his fourth term as a member of the House of Representatives. He is the single, at-large representative in the House for the entire state of Vermont. According to Representative Welch’s official House website,  he is a member of several health-related caucuses within Congress, and. has a record of supporting many pieces of legislation on health or veterans’ issues.  As previously discussed on this blog on August 12, 2011 and August 25, 2011, military service members and veterans are at disproportionately high risk for functional gastrointestinal disorders like IBS, which are already very common in the general population. Representative Welch was also the initial co-sponsor of H. Res 1309 for IBS awareness and research in the 111th Congress in 2010 and the previous version of the Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act, HR 2239 in the 112th Congress in 2011-2012.

If you are a constituent of Representative Welch, please take a few minutes to write or call with your thanks for his consistent and continuing support of HR 842 and the functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders community.

In officially supporting HR 842, Representative Welch joins the lead sponsor, Representative F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI-5) and co-sponsors, Representative James Moran (D-VA-8), Representative Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL-1),  Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI-5), Representative Ron Kind (D-WI-3), and Representative Susan Davis (D-CA-53). U.S. citizens residing in the districts of Representative Welch’s colleagues listed here, please thank them as well.

IFFGD/the Digestive Health Alliance’s upcoming annual Congressional Call-In Day is an excellent opportunity for constituents of current supporters to express their appreciation to their legislators, as well as  forU.S. citizens whose Representatives are not yet co-sponsors to advocate for their support. This year’s Call-In Day is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, June 5, 2013. On that day IFFGD/DHA and other IBS sites, including IBS Impact, strongly encourage all U.S. citizens with all functional gastrointestinal or motility disorders (for example, irritable bowel syndrome, GERD, gastroparesis, chronic idiopathic psuedo-obstruction, Hirschsprung’s disease,  functional (recurrent) abdominal pain, cyclic vomiting syndrome, functional dyspepsia and many others, which collectively affect at least 25% of the population), concerned family members, friends, co-workers or classmates, health and human service professionals who work with people with functional GI or motility disorders, to call their Representatives about HR 842 on that date. A strong, unified presence by many voices on the same day will make an impression that will pave the way for the IFFGD/DHA’s delegation of self-advocates with functional GI or motility disorders and functional GI professionals who will travel to Washington, DC to advocate in person later this month on IFFGD/DHA Advocacy Day 2013.

If you know the member of the federal House of Representatives who represents you, the direct telephone number for his or her Washington, DC office can usually be found on his or her official website, which can be located by an Internet search of his or her name. Keep in mind that your Representative may be different from before because of the 2012 elections, district boundaries that may have been re-drawn, or if you have moved. If you are not sure who is your Representative, you can look up this information at  http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ or call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 225-3121.

During business hours Eastern time on June 5, call your Representative’s office. Identify yourself as a constituent and give your name and the town or city in which you reside and ask to speak to the staff member who deals with health issues. You may be asked for your street address or phone number. This is to confirm that you do live in the Representative’s district and/or to allow the office to contact you to follow up. If you are nervous, in advance of calling, write down notes for yourself or a short presentation to read. You do not have to be an excellent speaker, just a person that the legislator and his or her staff will see as a real person with real needs. Be polite, keep the conversation on topic and limited to a few minutes, and thank the staff person for his or her time. Ask for the Representative to support HR 842 (or express your thanks for if he or she has already signed on).

Briefly explain your personal interest and/or experience with functional GI or motility disorders (for example, have had/family member has had irritable bowel syndrome for X years and has had difficulty finding appropriate treatment) and/or why functional GI and motility research and education provided for in HR 842 are important in general such as briefly what a functional GI or motility disorder or  your specific one of interest, like IBS,  is, how many people it affects, usually affects both genders, all ages, all ethnic groups  that IBS/functional GI disorders are usually chronic. often misdiagnosed or mistreated and effective treatments, providers and local community services are limited. Thank the staff member again before ending your call. If the staff member who deals with health issues is not available, leave a brief message with the above details on voice mail or with the staff member who answers the phone. It is rare for such advocacy calls to result in an immediate commitment to a particular bill, but one purpose of Call-In Day is to create awareness of the needs that affect large numbers of people and momentum for increasing Congressional support.

For more information on HR 842 and advocacy strategies, including links to the bill see the previous post from March 2, 2013 or click on the HR 842 category in the right sidebar of this blog to see all posts on this topic. Click the following link for  DHA’s page on Call In Day 2013.

IBS Impact urges all U.S. citizen readers of this blog to participate in the important and easy advocacy effort and to spread the word among your supportive relatives, friends and functional GI and motility disorder groups.  The progress of HR 842 is in our hands.

Check back on this blog or join IBS Impact’s Facebook page or Twitter feed for further updates on HR 842 as they occur. Links to the social media sites can be found on the right sidebar of the blog.

Guest Post : IBS- A Canadian Perspective, Tapping into Key Resources

 Blogger Lyndin Kane of Running From the Runs returns this week with a post for her fellow Canadians with IBS, which was written especially for IBS Impact. Readers from all over the world, also see her popular guest post from April 8, 2013 for IBS Awareness Month, which was reposted from her own blog with her kind permission. We thank her once again for contributing her work and knowledge to this blog and to the cause of IBS awareness, support and services in Canada and beyond.

According to the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation, as many as 5 million Canadians now suffer from IBS, whether or not they have officially received a diagnosis from their doctor.  Similar to the United States and the United Kingdom, irritable bowel syndrome is a growing problem in society that affects not only the sufferers, but their family, their friends and even their place of employment.  As a Canadian who has been officially diagnosed with IBS for over 10 years, I have made my way through the maze of the Canadian health care system, specifically in Nova Scotia.  When I first came forward with my concerns, my doctor was very dismissive and it was not until my mother attended an appointment with me that my GP took me seriously.  Following this, I underwent the usual stool tests, blood work, barium enemas (first day of university!) and colonoscopies before receiving the IBS verdict.  At the time, there was not much offered to me in the way of support, a few books, a diet high in fibre and seeking psychological help were all strongly encouraged.

Luckily, things seem to be changing for the better.  More progress needs to be made; however, more and more resources are becoming available to Canadians.  Upon completing research as to what types of resources are offered in Canada, I have identified a few key options that go beyond the traditional fact sheet:

Canadian Digestive Health Foundation (CDHF): This organization offers various videos and slideshows that cover basic information relating to IBS. In addition to this, fact sheets and testimonials from IBS sufferers are presented on the website.What is perhaps the most useful tool is a free app for the iPhone and iPad called Gi BodyGuard This app is designed to create a profile of you and your symptoms and allows you to track your bowel movements, your level of pain in certain areas (ex. abdomen, rectum etc.), your food intake, medication and other symptoms.  This app could be particularly helpful when working with your doctor or dietitian.

Gastrointestinal Society (formerly the Canadian Society of Intestinal Research):  similar to CDHF, badgut.org  offers fact sheets, videos and articles relating to managing IBS as well as current research about the condition.  In addition to their newsletter, Inside Tract, this organization will mail pamphlets free-of-charge to individuals and groups upon request.

Capital District Health Authority (Nova Scotia):The province’s largest health authority, through the Nutrition Education Clinic at both the Dartmouth General Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Halifax, offer an Irritable Bowel Syndrome Program. Patients must be referred by their doctor in order to access the program which is scheduled once or twice a month. IBS sufferers have the opportunity to meet first in a group setting (1.5-2 hours) and then one-on-one to learn from both a nutritionist and other sufferers as to what to eat when you have IBS.

IBS Support Canada:  Founded by volunteer and IBS sufferer, Belinda Sutton, this organization offers the opportunity to speak to others with the same condition on a monthly basis either in-person or over the phone.

Can’t Wait: Created by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada, the Can’t Wait website and app are there for you during that moment where you are desperately searching for a washroom.  The app uses your phone’s GPS to determine your location and the closest washroom.  If using the website, just plug in your address and street name and the site will generate a list of options for you.

We have focused on the resources available from Canadian providers, however, if there are any other resources you find particularly useful, please provide the information below in the comments section and help us to continue to support each other as we struggle with this health condition.

Written by Lyndin Kane of Halifax, Nova Scotia, freelance writer and author of Running from the Runs, a health and wellness blog dedicated to irritable bowel syndrome and the often uncomfortable, always humorous, effect it can have on daily life. 

Follow her on Twitter @Rnningfrmtherns

Representative Davis of California Co-Sponsors HR 842 for Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders

According to THOMAS, the Library of Congress legislative database, and IFFGD/the Digestive Health Alliance, as of early May 2013, Representative Susan Davis (D-CA-53) has signed on as a co-sponsor to the Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act of 2013.

Representative Davis is serving her seventh term as a member of the House of Representatives. Her district, the 53rd Congressional District of California, currently represents the central and eastern San Diego region, as far south as parts of Chula Vista and as far east as El Cajon. According to Representative Davis’ official website, she is ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Military Personnel, and has a past history of supporting much legislation on behalf of veterans. As previously discussed on this blog on August 12, 2011 and August 25, 2011, military service members and veterans are at disproportionately high risk for functional gastrointestinal disorders like IBS, which are already very common in the general population. She also has supported health care legislation, including medical research budgets for the National Institutes of Health, as well as women’s issues. In most countries, women comprise approximately two-thirds of adults with IBS. Representative Davis was also a co-sponsor of the previous version of this bill, HR 2239, in 2011-2012.

If you are a constituent of Representative Davis, please take a few minutes to write or call her with your thanks for her continuing support of HR 842 and the functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders community.

In officially supporting HR 842, Representative Davis joins the lead sponsor, Representative F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI-5) and co-sponsors, Representative James Moran (D-VA-8), Representative Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL-1), Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI-5), and Representative Ron Kind (D-WI-3).  U.S. citizens residing in the districts of Representative Davis’ colleagues listed here, please thank them as well.

According to the information on THOMAS, it appears that the bill is currently under consideration in the Subcommittee on Health. Click on the link above if you would like to see a list of its members.

U. S. citizens, if your Member of Congress is not yet a co-sponsor of HR 842 and you have not contacted him or her recently to ask for his or her support,  please see the previous post from March 2, 2013  for links to the bill and more details on how to do so.  Often, it takes multiple attempts to elicit any interest from legislators, so if you do not receive a reply, do not hesitate to try again or to switch contact methods until you attract attention. Keep in mind that your Representative may be different from before because of the 2012 elections, district boundaries that may have been re-drawn, or if you have moved.

Your personal experiences as a person with IBS and/or other functional GI/motility disorders, or as a concerned family member, friend or colleague, are most effective in communicating to legislators and their staff that there are real human beings behind the statistics. However, even general expressions of support are helpful.

HR 842 is bipartisan legislation (supported by members of both parties) and according to IFFGD discussions with IBS Impact,  is “revenue-neutral,” meaning that there will be no additional taxes or spending added to the current federal deficit if it is enacted. Discretionary funds are available at the National Institutes of Health to be allocated if Congress directs NIH, through this Act, that functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders are a priority. Congress will only do so if we, as a community, are able to show them the importance of the research, education and FDA coordination provided for in HR 842.

NIH grants funding to researchers throughout the world, not just in the U.S., so in the long run, enactment of this Act may also benefit readers with IBS in other countries. Medical research also sometimes involves multinational teams of scientists, and in any case, study results are usually published globally, adding to the cumulative knowledge worldwide.

It is IBS Impact’s understanding that HR 842 will not require a debate or vote on the floor of the House of Representatives, and will pass as soon as it reaches 218 sponsor/cosponsors, or a simple majority of the House. In order for this milestone to be accomplished during the current Congress, the 113th,  the necessary number of sponsor/cosponsors must be reached by December 2014. Every two years, the Congressional membership will be different as a result of elections. Thus, if HR 842 has not passed by that time,  a similar bill will have to be reintroduced and the FGIMD community will have to start the process of gathering co-sponsors anew. This is what occurred with HR 2239 in 2012. While it is quite common for legislation of various sorts to take several Congresses to pass, our continuing advocacy now can increase awareness, build momentum and perhaps accelerate passage. It is in our hands.

Check back on this blog or join IBS Impact’s Facebook page or Twitter feed for further updates on HR 842 as they occur. Links to the social media sites can be found on the right sidebar of the blog.

Restroom Access Act (Ally’s Law) Updates in Maryland and Maine

As of last month, April 2013, there are positive updates to report in two more U.S. states regarding Restroom Access Acts, popularly known as Ally’s Law. This brings the number of states with known restroom access laws, allowing people with medical conditions to use employee-only restrooms in retail establishments, to fifteen.

In Maryland, according to this April 11, 2013 article in the Maryland Reporter,  state legislation HB 1183 was signed into law by the governor. and is now known as Chapter 148. It will take effect on October 1, 2013. Unfortunately, there do not appear to be additional publicly available sources to confirm or elaborate on the linked information, but as far as IBS Impact is able to determine, the current law amends previously existing law to reduce the minimum number of employees a retail establishment must have in order to be covered by the law from twenty to three. This is more consistent with similar restroom access laws in other states and considerably expands the number of businesses that would be required to comply. The amended Chapter 148 also provides for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to create an identification card that can be downloaded and printed from its website and signed by a physician to verify an individual’s medical condition that may require immediate access to a toilet. Please note that unlike similar laws in most other states that currently have them, Maryland does not specifically mention irritable bowel syndrome in the text. However, IBS is covered by the phrase, “other medical condition.”

Also last month, Team Challenge Maine, an inflammatory bowel disease advocacy and awareness Facebook group we highlighted on this blog on December 23, 2012 for its efforts to pass similar legislation in that state, reported that to their surprise, Maine has already had such a law since 2009. The text of Maine statute Title 22, Section 1672-B is linked here. It specifically mentions irritable bowel syndrome among other eligible conditions. Team Challenge Maine now encourages people to report on their experiences of using the law now that they are aware of it.

These laws and the advocacy movement to enact them are popularly named for Ally Bain, who has Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Several years ago, as a young teenager, Ally had an accident in a store after her request to use the employee restroom was refused, despite her explaining repeatedly that she had an urgent medical need. After that humiliating experience, Ally successfully worked with legislators in her then-home state of Illinois to enact a law to address similar situations in 2005. Since then, with continued public advocacy by Ally and others, in addition to Illinois, Maryland and Maine, there are currently known existing laws in Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Washington State and Wisconsin. As these are individual state laws, they each vary in certain details, but most say that a “retail establishment” must give a person with an “eligible medical condition” access to an employee restroom if there is no public restroom immediately available, there are at least three employees (in one case, two) working at the time, and the facility itself or its location will not pose a safety hazard to the person or security risk to the business. Please see IBS Impact’s previous posts on February 21, 2012 and August 20, 2012 for links to text of the law in other states where one currently exists. In most of these states, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is specifically mentioned in each law. In Massachusetts, similar to Maryland,  IBS is covered broadly under “any other medical condition requires immediate access to a restroom facility.”

In past years, similar bills been introduced in several additional states, but have not yet passed, requiring continuing advocacy and reintroduction in subsequent legislative sessions.  IBS Impact has reached out to Ally and other self-advocates in the inflammatory bowel disease community in an effort to increase public awareness of the similar concerns of many people with IBS, as well as to offer support toward this common goal. While their diagnosis of IBD is different from IBS in several ways, the experience of gastrointestinal pain, unpredictable, urgent or frequent trips to the bathroom and feeling embarrassed and alone is shared by many people with IBS. The IBD community has generally been much more publicly visible and active in these advocacy efforts relative to people with IBS.  Please see IBS Impact’s previous post on November 2, 2012 for commentary on why it is in the interests of the IBS community to join our IBD-affected peers in pressing for these laws.

IBS Impact is pleased to learn that restroom access laws do exist in Maryland and Maine. However, there appears to be a lack of widespread coverage of the previous Maryland law and the recently signed amendments by journalists, as well as by websites, blogs and organizations in both the IBD and IBS communities. This news was not reported on this blog earlier than now,  precisely because of the difficulty in confirming accurate details through IBS Impact’s many sources, contacts and research efforts. Also, it is ironic that advocacy activities in Maine were publicly launched for several months before they were able to discover that a law already is on the books.

All this seems to point to a major lack of awareness in constituencies that might benefit from these laws, as well as the need for a centralized source for the status of laws, pending legislation, and advocacy efforts in each state. While IBS Impact does not currently have the resources to be as comprehensive a source for this as would be ideal, over time, this blog has striven to report on as much information on the subject as is readily available. When possible, we have also included links to the laws and to grassroots groups concerned with these issues in certain states.  We encourage readers and followers, both in the IBS and the IBD community, to comment here or to contact IBS Impact privately with additional information or corrections in the future, so that all people with medical conditions causing urgent restroom needs can benefit from this knowledge.

Representative Kind of Wisconsin Co-Sponsors HR 842 for Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders

According to THOMAS, the Library of Congress legislative database, and IFFGD/the Digestive Health Alliance, as of late April 2013, Representative Ron Kind (D-WI-3) has signed on as a co-sponsor to the Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders Research Enhancement Act of 2013.

Representative Kind is serving his ninth term as a member of the House of Representatives. His district, the 3rd Congressional District of Wisconsin, represents the western part of the state, including La Crosse, Eau Claire and Platteville. He is a member of the Subcommittee on Health of the House Committee of Ways and Means.  He also has a record of supporting legislation of concern to veterans. As previously discussed on this blog on August 12, 2011 and August 25, 2011, military service members and veterans are at disproportionately high risk for functional gastrointestinal disorders like IBS, which are already very common in the general population. Representative Kind was also a co-sponsor of the previous version of this bill, HR 2239 in the 112th Congress in 2011-2011.

If you are a constituent of Representative Kind, please take a few minutes to write or call with your thanks for his continuing support of HR 842 and the functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders community.

In officially supporting HR 842, Representative Kind joins the lead sponsor, Representative F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI-5) and co-sponsors, Representative James Moran (D-VA-8), Representative Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL-1), and Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI-5).  U.S. citizens residing in the districts of Representative Kind’s colleagues listed here, please thank them as well.

According to the information on THOMAS, it appears that the bill is currently under consideration in the Subcommittee on Health. Click on the link above if you would like to see a list of its members.

U. S. citizens, if your Member of Congress is not yet a co-sponsor of HR 842 and you have not contacted him or her recently to ask for his or her support,  please see the previous post from March 2, 2013  for links to the bill and more details on how to do so.  Often, it takes multiple attempts to elicit any interest from legislators, so if you do not receive a reply, do not hesitate to try again or to switch contact methods until you attract attention. Keep in mind that your Representative may be different from before because of the 2012 elections, district boundaries that may have been re-drawn, or if you have moved.

Your personal experiences as a person with IBS and/or other functional GI/motility disorders, or as a concerned family member, friend or colleague, are most effective in communicating to legislators and their staff that there are real human beings behind the statistics. However, even general expressions of support are helpful.

HR 842 is bipartisan legislation (supported by members of both parties) and according to IFFGD discussions with IBS Impact,  is “revenue-neutral,” meaning that there will be no additional taxes or spending added to the current federal deficit if it is enacted. Discretionary funds are available at the National Institutes of Health to be allocated if Congress directs NIH, through this Act, that functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders are a priority. Congress will only do so if we, as a community, are able to show them the importance of the research, education and FDA coordination provided for in HR 842.

NIH grants funding to researchers throughout the world, not just in the U.S., so in the long run, enactment of this Act may also benefit readers with IBS in other countries. Medical research also sometimes involves multinational teams of scientists, and in any case, study results are usually published globally, adding to the cumulative knowledge worldwide.

It is IBS Impact’s understanding that HR 842 will not require a debate or vote on the floor of the House of Representatives, and will pass as soon as it reaches 218 sponsor/cosponsors, or a simple majority of the House. In order for this milestone to be accomplished during the current Congress, the 113th,  the necessary number of sponsor/cosponsors must be reached by December 2014. Every two years, the Congressional membership will be different as a result of elections. Thus, if HR 842 has not passed by that time,  a similar bill will have to be reintroduced and the FGIMD community will have to start the process of gathering co-sponsors anew. This is what occurred with HR 2239 in 2012. While it is quite common for legislation of various sorts to take several Congresses to pass, our continuing advocacy now can increase awareness, build momentum and perhaps accelerate passage. It is in our hands.

Check back on this blog or join IBS Impact’s Facebook page or Twitter feed for further updates on HR 842 as they occur. Links to the social media sites can be found on the right sidebar of the blog.