If the head of Apple was in charge of wiping out Parkinson’s disease and had enough money to get the job done, would you have confidence?
Lou Weisbach would. So much so that the promotional products industry veteran, who was most recently affiliated with Overture Promotions – the No. 21 distributor in the PPAI 100 – has reignited a legislative initiative that would divert funds toward curing all preventable diseases.
Weisbach is pushing for a bipartisan bill in Congress that will establish The American Center For Cures, which will be financed through the sale of $750 billion worth of bonds. That money will be used to set up 14 organizations (each receiving $36 billion worth of funding) tasked with preventing and/or curing a specific disease, such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes and various forms of cancer.
- Each organization will be led by a CEO from a public company that has proven their expertise in taking on major challenges and succeeding.
- There will also be a 15th entity with $108 billion of dedicated funding to focus on all remaining diseases.
“To be successful in business, you need to have enough money, the right leadership, a sense of accountability, the right processes in place and a sense of urgency,” Weisbach told PPAI Media. “When it comes to preventing and curing diseases, none of those things are currently in place. Nobody will lose their job if we don’t cure a disease, and that’s why we don’t. People run and walk for cures, throwing money into a system that has never worked.”
“Politicians talk about their moonshot on cancer, but it’s all political rhetoric,” Weisbach adds. “The money and the plan aren’t there. Now, we’re holding politicians’ feet to the fire because we have the plan.”
Unity Strong
Introducing the concept 25 years ago, Weisbach blames special interest groups for preventing a similar bill supported by former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman from gaining traction.
He’s hoping that won’t be a problem this time because of a carveout in the bill that benefits the pharmaceutical industry: any chemical compounds arising from the research that don’t relate to prevention and cures will be licensed to pharmaceutical companies.
RELATED: Tell PPAI Media About Industry Humanitarians
“If you can’t address special interests in our country today, then you can’t get anything done,” Weisbach says. “The beauty of what we’re doing is it’s the only issue that’s exactly the same if you’re Black or White, rich or poor, Democrat or Republican. Disease is the only issue that we haven’t dealt with effectively in this country (and around the world) that now can help unite the country and heal it physically, as well as mentally.”
Unity is the main theme of the marketing campaign around this initiative. In fact, Kim Sledge of musical group Sister Sledge – known for its classic hit “We Are Family” – has written a new song titled “Unity Strong” in support of The American Center For Cures.
“When something is as important as this, which will bring healing, hope and cures, it’s also about unity because we all want that for our loved ones,” Sledge told PPAI Media.
Sledge, whose family has been friends with Weisbach’s family for many years, says she heard the song in a dream and woke up at 3 a.m. to record it on her phone. “I believe that God speaks to people through dreams,” Sledge says. “It was God telling me that it’s time for unity.”
Weisbach understands the importance of unity in both business and government. After leaving promo, he entered the political scene, becoming chair of the Jefferson Trust of the Democratic National Committee, the party’s exclusive club of donors who had contributed $100,000 or more, according to Chicago Magazine.
- He’d later go on to serve for two years as a judge in the White House Fellows competition during the Trump administration.
His foray into politics led him to Dr. Richard Boxer, a senior health advisor to President Bill Clinton during the ‘90s and the co-architect of The American Center For Cures.
Boxer, whom President Joe Biden appointed to the National Cancer Advisory Board last year, compares modern medical science to “a rocket about to blast off,” as evidenced by mRNA vaccines, sequencing, editing and splicing of the human genome, targeted therapies, robotic exoskeletons for paraplegics and artificial intelligence.
“The discoveries that will prevent, treat and cure dozens of diseases are within the grasp of researchers,” Boxer says. “The rocket fuel is money, commitment, expansion of grants for research, nurturing of young investigators and political will to see it through.”
Promo’s Role
Hoping to capitalize on the presidential election, Weisbach wants both parties’ candidates to choose who the bill’s co-sponsors should be so Americans see how political leaders can still work together “even in this decisive time.”
“I don’t believe there has ever been a time in my lifetime where the country needs to be unified more and get both sides of the political aisle to work together for the benefit of the people,” Weisbach adds. “We’re telling those running for president, that if you don’t support this, you being elected will be a non-starter because the people of America will know that you weren’t willing to stand up for their best interests.”
Of course, the promo industry can play an integral role in the initiative, says Weisbach, who has already purchased bumper stickers. His vision is that promo firms endorse the idea, supplying branded merchandise to spread the message and encouraging their employees to write to members of Congress, White House officials and the presidential candidates demanding that they move forward with the initiative.
- Weisbach adds that he’s allowing every company in the industry to let their customers co-brand with The American Center For Cures or any of its slogans.
“The idea of the promo industry leading the world in moving this concept forward from a branding perspective is so compelling,” Weisbach says. “It won’t only uplift and change healthcare but will also uplift the industry’s brand by showing people how much good promotional products can do.
“This will change the world for everybody who works in the industry, their families, their customers and their customers’ families.”
