ACS CAN 2025 New York City Priorities

2025 New York City Legislative Agenda

Download the document here. 

In 2025 the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) will work with the New York City Council and other city leaders on legislative and regulatory efforts to promote cancer prevention and early detection and ensure the New Yorkers have access to quality care. ACS CAN will make the following fact-based policies a priority and asks for your support:  

Ending the Sale of Menthol Cigarettes and Reforming How Tobacco Laws are Enforced: Smoking remains the number one cause of preventable death and disease in New York City. 27.3% of all cancer deaths in New York are smoking-related and smoking results in more than 12,000 deaths from all types of disease in New York City annually. Menthol cigarettes are the most popular type of cigarette with surveys showing that half of youth (ages 12-17) who had ever tried smoking started with menthol cigarettes, and 42.3% of high school students who smoke reported using menthol cigarettes in 2023.

The City Council must prioritize the health of our kids, and communities who have been targeted by the tobacco industry. Intro 1152-2024 will end the sale of menthol      cigarettes by the more than 5,000 licensed cigarette dealers in New York City. Furthermore, this legislation will reform how our tobacco laws are enforced by specifying in the law for the first time that it is not illegal to purchase, use or posses these products.

Improve Access to Patient Navigation Services: ACS CAN seeks to improve cancer outcomes for patients and reduce health payer costs by increasing community-based patient navigation services for everyone at risk of cancer, those diagnosed with cancer, and cancer survivors. Patient navigators have been shown to help increase cancer screenings rates, help patients better understand treatment options after diagnosis and help ensure patients receive the post treatment care they need in survivorship.

ACS CAN is advocating for New York City to appropriate $1,000,000 in Fiscal Year 2025-2026 and in each of the four subsequent fiscal years to the NYC DOHMH for community-based patient navigation services provided to individuals who are eligible for cancer screening, follow-up, or treatment services in the neighborhoods with the highest cancer mortality rates. Investing in patient navigation would help improve cancer screening rates and reach the HealthyNYC goal of reducing deaths from cancers that can be detected early through routine screening by 20% by 2030. 

Expand Paid Time Off for Cancer Screening: The availability of paid leave from work for cancer screenings alleviates a significant barrier that will increase the rate of cancers detected at an early stage, when they can be more easily treated.  Unfortunately, not all New Yorkers have equal access to paid time off from work for cancer screening.  ACS CAN seeks to ensure that every New Yorker has a guaranteed right to paid time off from work for cancer screening.

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