Salas helps to deliver much-need funding for the conitnuing fight to address Valley Fever

Earlier this year, Salas presented proposals to the budget committee seeking to bring millions to fund Valley Fever research and to help raise awareness. He has continued to fight for this funding during budget negotiations. 

“Funding Valley Fever research and awareness are critically important to helping families in the Central Valley and across the state affected by this disease,” said Salas. “I commend my colleagues and leadership for recognizing the public health threat posed by Valley Fever and including this funding in the budget bill. With a lot of support from the community, and from Valley Fever survivors and researchers, together we have made a big step forward in combatting Valley Fever.” 

“With Valley Fever cases continuing to rise, the need for awareness, research, and treatment is increasing, too. This funding is desperately needed to protect the entire state from the effects of Valley Fever,” said Rob Purdie of Valley Fever Americas Foundation. “The Valley Fever Americas Foundation would like to thank Salas for leading the way forward on Valley Fever legislation as well as awareness and research funding. For me, living with Valley Fever has been life-changing, having someone like Salas to speak for us in Sacramento makes it easier to get through the bad days and focus on the better days ahead.”

“Funding for Valley Fever research is urgently needed to address the public health impacts of this disease in the Central Valley and elsewhere in California,” said Dr. Katrina Hoyer, a researcher at the University of California Merced. “I applaud the action taken today to fund this important work and thank Assemblymember Salas for his continued effort to combat Valley Fever and help find new treatments for this debilitating disease.”

The $8 million for Valley Fever outreach and research breaks down as follows: $2 million for outreach and awareness at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH); $3 million for research at the Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical through CDPH; and $3 million for research directly to the University of California.

Last week, Governor Jerry Brown and legislative leaders announced that they had reached an agreement on the 2018-19 state budget. The budget now must be passed by both houses of the Legislature with a majority vote by the constitutional deadline of June 15, and after that, it will be sent before the Governor.