After years of hard work by ACS CAN staff, volunteers, and tobacco control partners, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized its authority to regulate all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, cigars, and hookah. This was a significant and necessary step to protect the public health of the nation.
Chris writes about the importance of showing the women in our lives how much we appreciate them by ensuring that all women have access to timely and affordable preventive services. He highlights the need to fight for increased funding for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.
Cancer is a ubiquitous foe, and it can be cruelly indiscriminate. However, there are things a person can do to reduce his or her risk of developing cancer and focusing on healthy eating and active living are among the best. Since March is National Nutrition Month, I want to take this opportunity to share with you some of the important policies ACS CAN supports that help make it easier for children and adults to eat a healthy diet and keep their weight in check.
During a presentation to the Society and ACS CAN on the state of health and wellness in the African American community, Dr. Harold P. Freeman, former Society National Board President and founder of the Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Institute, shared his thoughts on reducing disparities and the role of patient navigation.
ACS CAN's Indiana Day at the Capitol event was one of nearly 50 similar events scheduled to take place in almost every state and the District of Columbia between January and May this year. During 2016 state sessions ACS CAN will be working to convince lawmakers to pass comprehensive smoke-free laws, increase tobacco taxes, improving the quality of life for cancer patients, prohibit the use of tanning devices for minors and guarantee access to health care and lifesaving cancer screenings.
Great news last week out of Massachusetts where Governor Charlie Baker and the state legislature enacted new legislation to prevent youth under the age of 18 from using indoor tanning devices. ACS CAN staff and volunteers have been working hard to protect Massachusetts teens from the harms of indoor tanning and we're hoping that this early legislative win in 2016 sets the tone for other states to do the same.
We invited Raha Assadi-Lamouki to share her story - the same story she shared with the vice president - and tell us what the Moonshot initiative means to her and her family.
Today is World Cancer Day (WCD), a day when the world again unites in the fight against cancer. Organized by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), World Cancer Day is saving lives by raising awareness about cancer, and pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action.
After years of stalled and anemic funding levels for critical cancer research, Congress came together at the end of last year in a major way to pass the biggest funding increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) in more than a decade. Champions, including Rep. Kevin Yoder from Kansas, acknowledged the importance of making cancer a national priority and rallied together to make sure resources were available to advance detection tests, treatments and therapies for a disease that is expected to kill nearly 600,000 people in America this year.
For Americans who do not use tobacco, diet, weight and physical activity level are the leading risk factors for cancer. There is also growing evidence that a healthy weight, good nutrition and regular physical activity improve health outcomes and quality of life for those undergoing cancer treatment, and reduce the risk of recurrence for cancer survivors. ACS CAN advocates for legislation and policies that promote healthy eating and active living. On Dec. 10, ACS CAN, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) hosted a policy seminar on nutrition and physical activity interventions for cancer survivors.