Today is the start of ACS CAN's signature annual event: our Leadership Summit and Lobby Day. We'll be welcoming more than 600 cancer patients, advocates, survivors, caregivers and their families from all 50 states and nearly every congressional district to Washington, D.C.
Unfortunately, for most of you the answer to the question above is not well. According to a new edition of the ACS CAN report How Do You Measure Up? released today, many state legislatures are missing opportunities to enact laws and policies that could not only generate new revenue and long-term health savings, but also save lives.
Dr. Laura Witherspoon is an American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteer from Tennessee. Below is her account of her participation in the One Voice Against Cancer lobby day on July 9.
Did you know that cancer is the leading cause of non-accidental death among children in the U.S. under the age of 15? It's a story of urgency that needs to be shared, and ACS CAN is participating in an exciting event today that is designed to spread that message.
Undoubtedly you saw the countdowns on your local news stations sequestration took effect on Friday. Sequestration is what Washington is calling the $85 billion in across-the-board budget cuts to domestic and defense discretionary spending agreed upon in the 2011 Budget Control Act. While a lot remains unknown about how the cuts will affect us, we know one thing is for sure: funding for cancer research and prevention programs is taking a dangerous hit.
I was pleased to hear President Obama mention the need to invest in science and innovation in Tuesday's State of the Union address. Cancer patients and survivors nationwide need a renewed commitment from Congress and the administration to fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute at levels that keep up with inflation and allow promising research to continue.
To illustrate just how crucial federal funding is for cancer research, ACS CAN released a new report this week, Catalyst for Cures: How Federally Funded Cancer Research Saves Lives. This report underscores the threat posed by sequestration to future progress in the fight to end death and suffering from cancer by highlighting federally-funded scientists who have discovered new ways to treat specific cancers, including breast cancer, melanoma and lung cancer and the patients who benefited from those advances.
I can hardly believe 2012 is coming to an end. As the new year approaches, I always like to think back on the accomplishments and significant events of the past 12 months. To say ACS CAN was busy this year is an understatement. We had a great year, and I want to share some of our highlights with you.
The public health community lost a tireless and enormously effective champion when Senator Arlen Specter succumbed to cancer on Sunday at the age of 82. I thought it was only appropriate to pay tribute to him by recognizing his unparalleled contributions to the fight against cancer.
If you're a college basketball fan, you know it is heavy recruitment season. University coaches are flying around the country to scout out players for next season's teams. Yet, last week four Division I NCAA basketball coaches took a time out from their busy schedules to come to Washington, D.C. and advocate on behalf of cancer patients everywhere as part of ACS CAN's Coaches vs. Cancer Capitol Hill rally.