Only went to schools on the basis of the statute's formula I urge the Subcommittee to overcome the $54,350,000 "shortfall" and fully fund the $168 million authorized ceiling for institutional and special project grant programs in FY'71. C. Health Research Facility Construction Although there were 97 approved and unfunded project requests for health research facility construction totaling $84,062,825 and in addition, 4 project requests pending - funds are requested. I urge the Subcommittee to overcome the $30 million "shortfall" and fully fund the $30 million authorized ceiling for health research facility construction in FY'71. These "shortfalls" (for medical, dental and related schools) between authorizations and appropriations 31 the $106.9 million in construction of teaching facilities; the $54,350,000 in institutional and special project grants; and the $30 million for health research facility construction document why our health rofessions schools are in grave danger of being forced to close heir doors and why the Senate responded to this crisis by passage f S. 3586 which includes, in its entirety, my bill to provide 100 million in disaster relief to these schools. Student Assistance Now let us deal with problems of student aid. To meet the eed for the required additional manpower, a program of direct oans to students of the health professions was established by ongress, taking effect in 1965. Grants are made to the schools of ealth professions who then loan the money to the students most in eed. Students of the following professions are eligible: medicine, lentistry, osteopathy, optometry, podiatry, pharmacy, and veterinary edicine. A similar program exists for nursing students. - Despite the students' demonstrated need for and dependence on hese loan funds, only $12 million is requested in fiscal year 1971 'or students of medicine, dentistry, etc. (increased by the House o $22 million) and only $9,610,000 for nursing students (increased by the House to $15,610,000). However, in FY171, $35 million is authorized for loan funds for students of medicine, dentistry, etc., and $21 million for loan funds for nursing students. There is no question about the need for loan funds in FY 71 the schools of medicine, dentistry, etc., requested $43,381,803 and nursing schools requested $27,900,929. I urge the Subcommittee to fully fund the $35 million authorized ceiling for loan funds for students of medicine, dentistry, etc., (an increase over the House-passed bill of $13,000,000) and to fully fund the $21 million authorized ceiling for loan funds for nursing students (an increase over the Housepassed bill of $5,390,000) in FY'71. For scholarship programs the amount authorized is equal to $2,000 multiplied by 10% of the total health professions enrollment. Since there will be approximately 84,000 students enrolled in health However, the professions schools in the academic year 1970-71, the authorization for this scholarship program would total $16,800,000. proposed budget level is $15 million. I urge the Subcommittee to fully fund the authorized ceiling - an increase of $1,800,000 - for health professions scholarships programs in FY'71. NARCOTIC ADDICTION AND DRUG ABUSE There is a blight upon all America. Tragically affecting our young people, the problem of narcotic addiction and drug abuse has taken on the proportions of a national epidemic; it is perhaps the biggest single factor in the commission of serious crime in New York City and in other major cities as well. It attacks our inner cities, our affluent suburbs and rural America. It strikes at those in poverty, our middle-class, and the wealthy. What narcotics addiction means to just one city, New York City, can be put very simply. There are estimated to be over 100,000 addicts in my city alone. In the age group between 16 and 35, addiction is the largest single cause of accidental death and the total number of addicts who died last year is more than 1000. New York City's Medical Examiner's records indicate that 224 teenagers died of problems caused by heroin in 1969 and of these, 55 were less than 16 years of age. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates nationally - - including those is at between the total number of non-narcotic drug abusers addicted or habituated to marijuana, LSD, sedatives, stimulants, and related drugs, and certain tranquilizers 250,000 and 500,000 persons and the number of juveniles and adults who have used marijuana at least once is conservatively estimated between 8 and 12 million. The economic toll has been set by a former director of the National Institute of Mental Health in the range of $2- to $3-billion yearly. But there has been a strangely fundamental and stubborn unwillingness by our society to investigate the measures we have taken to cure this problem and to offer adequate elp to those involved in it. Instead we seem satisfied to ontinue quoting the figures and turning our backs on their sub tantive implications. The more important target of research, aftercare treatment, nd rehabilitation for these addicts has been grossly underfunded y the Government. The thrust of Federal activities takes the form f financial assistance to the National Institute of Mental Health o stimulate support for the development of community-based proincluding the Federal facilities at Fort Worth and exington, for which salaries account for $10.9 million rams -- amounts 。 $52,166,000 in FY'71. This is fantastically small in comparison o the scope and gravity of the problem in a complex and mythidden field. Firm data on the extent of national narcotic addiction and irug abuse are difficult to find, but the magnitude of the need as contrasted to the National commitment by NIMH of $52 million can be readily seen by looking at one state, New York, where $65 nillion in State funds is being made available to communities to undertake to operate treatment programs for youthful and other drug abusers. In the past, we have always insisted on firm documentation of narcotics addiction and drug abuse before acting; if we wait until all the data are complete in this situation, it will be too late. The limited data on narcotic addiction and drug abuse all point in the same direction a burgeoning national epidemic 11 and the information available in New York State is confirmed in school studies in other areas of the Unites States such as in Research. $18,300,000 There is proposed in the FY'71 budget for research although I might note 95 grant applications totaling however only $5.6 million of $20,236,000 have been received - this component is to be made available for pure drug research. This is similar to the situation in FY'70 where a review of that $16,263,000 appropriation reveals only $3,295,000 were grants specifically for drug research rather than drugs being tangentially related or a small component of the research. It is distressing to note that only $138,000 was made available for research into the development of antagonists (e.g. cyclazocine, naloxone) against heroin use; $1.6 million for marijuana research; and for the to-date most effective weapon against heroin, methadone (a synthetic addicting opiate extremely useful in the rehabilitation of heroin addicts for when administered eliminates the drug craving and produces neither euphoria nor other behavior distortions) only $662,000 was expended. I would urge the Subcommittee to either substantially increase the $18.3 million FY 71 research budget or alternatively to require that NIMH "earmark" substantial funding for research into these most vital programs. Training. There is proposed in the FY'71 NIMH budget for training grants $900,000 yet no one can doubt that trained professional are desperately needed to treat this dread disease. Most distressing 13 is that the communities clearly recognize the urgency of the need for trained professionals there have been (despite the knowledge of the very limited funds) 18 project grant applications which required $9,462,000 in funding. I would urge the Subcommittee substantially to increase the funds available for this purpose and allow our communities to develop the desperately needed trained personnel to deal effectively with the narcotic addiction and drug abuse epidemic. Rehabilitation. The breakdown of this budget reveals only $9.9 million is requested for the Narcotic Addiction Rehabilitation Program of the National Institute of Mental Health (and an additional $6 million for alcoholism activities within the community mental although $30 million is authorized for health centers program these programs for FY'71. This is most distressing since $9.5 million |