How You Can Help
There are three main reasons that we have been as successful as we have: First is our remarkable combination of good people - five full-time Ph.D. scientists and world-renowned surgeons and medical oncologists working with a team of postdoctoral fellows, residents in training, and technical support staff. Second is our world-class facility. But excellence doesn't allow for many bargains: What we do here is very expensive.
And this brings us to the third reason, our lifeline and the heart of our success: You, our partners in discovery. Sadly, of all the battles we fight, the one for funding is among the most difficult. In many ways, we are swimming against the tide: Today, more scientists than ever are competing for support from the National Institutes of Health. Although the backbone of our funding -- $4 million -- comes from NIH and other grants, these don't cover all the basics: For example, they don't pay for purchases of major equipment, some salaries, and financial stability between grant periods, the "hard" money needed to retain the most talented scientists and support personnel in the country.
Another $1 million of our funding comes from professional fees. Our physicians receive a salary; this enables us to reinvest all extra revenue in discovery. However, with the recent dramatic changes in health care financing, the availability of funds from professional fees is disappearing. Managed-care companies are draining the profit we once used to support this work and offering reimbursements that are less than it costs to provide the kind of care that we give. For this reason, we can't depend on third-party reimbursements to support our research in the way they once did.
Currently, the remaining $2 million per year of our $7 million research budget comes from gifts and endowment. It comes from you. We can't do it without you. With the growing demand for NIH support and diminishing availability of funds from professional fees, it's increasingly important that we increase gifts from individuals and private philanthropic groups to safeguard the future of our mission. Recently we have taken a great leap of faith. Facing an era of increasingly uncertain funding, yet greater need -- and greater promise -- than ever before, we made a decision. Instead of counting on outside help that may or may not come, or worse -- somehow scaling back, and reneging on our commitment to all of our patients, past and future, we have concluded that it's up to us, and you, to make it happen: We have embarked on a $25 million campaign to meet the needs of the future, and to build a sustaining endowment that will provide security for our researchers in perpetuity. The funds will be allocated in this way:
- $20 million-Fund for Research & Progress in Urology, an endowment fund
- $4 million- Two endowed professorships
- $1 million- Expendable Gifts, non-endowment
But we know that with your help, we will meet this worthy goal. There is so much hope here: Breakthroughs -- such as the ones in this Update -- are being made every day. The future is brighter than ever. But without adequate funding, we will only be able to dream about seeing the fruit of our discoveries being used for the good of patients. Our vision of helping men with every stage of prostate cancer will remain just that. With your help, we can make it a reality. Together, we can save lives.
For more information on how you can make a tax-deductible contribution to the Brady Urological institute of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions please call the Brady Development Office at 410-955-8434
