Our children face two major challenges in America today: Too many children lack access to high-quality early education that can give them a strong start in life, and too many kids still smoke, which puts them on a path to serious disease and premature death.
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.
The American Cancer Society's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Len Lichtenfeld posted a great blog on palliative care recently that I wanted to share with all of you. It explains the differences between end-of-life care and palliative care, and highlights the importance of ACS CAN's work to pass legislation that will increase access to palliative care services for cancer patients and their loved ones.
Together with the cancer center, ACS CAN hosted a briefing for state legislators and community and business leaders to showcase the groundbreaking research researchers are conducting at Hollings and the people who are alive because of it.
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.
With the sad news of Sen. Frank Lautenberg's (D-NJ) passing earlier this week, many groups are speaking out and recognizing him for the many causes he dedicated himself to in his nearly 30 years in the U.S. Senate. To the cancer community, Sen. Lautenberg will always be remembered for his unyielding advocacy for policies to protect our children from the deadly addiction of tobacco.
Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. represents the 10th Congressional District of New Jersey
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.
A key government report released last month speaks to the importance of ACS CAN's work on nutrition. The report, issued by the Federal Trade Commission, looked at how much money the food and beverage industry spends on marketing its products to children and teens.
This week marks not only the start of a new year, but also the anniversaries of two very important laws to assist the fight against cancer.