We are already well into January, but I couldn't let the month pass by without acknowledging a very important event -- National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. This year, an estimated 12,000 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed and 4,200 women will die from the disease in this country.
As we observe Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday, we should consider his inspiring statement when he said that "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are we doing for others?'" Dr. King's work impacted millions of Americans.
After nearly 40 years of volunteer work for the American Cancer Society, I came on board as the ACS CAN Board Chair in November of last year. I'm now directly involved in advocacy more than I've ever been before, and I wanted to share with you some highlights of what we're looking forward to in 2012.
Tobacco has no place in athletics, and certainly not at any of the nation's premiere sporting events that are very popular and widely televised. That's why I'm incredibly grateful to advocates from a coalition of 10 public health groups, including ACS CAN, who were the driving force behind the Orange Bowl Committee's and National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) recent decision to cancel Camacho Cigars' sponsorship of the Orange Bowl, which will be played tonight.
The phrase an ounce of prevention saves lives and money means a lot to me and my family. My wife and I are diligent about talking with our doctors and ensuring we are getting the necessary cancer screenings. All Americans deserve access to these lifesaving tests and other cancer prevention measures, but a public health fund designed to do just that is in jeopardy.
Today, the Senate honored that historic moment by introducing a resolution commemorating the anniversary. The resolution, co-sponsored by Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Bob Casey (D-PA), celebrates the fact that people with cancer stand a far better chance of surviving the disease today than they did 40 years ago.
Today, when consumers pick a health coverage plan they are given a long document filled with complicated jargon that is virtually impossible for them to understand. An important provision in the Affordable Care Act, known as the Summary of Benefits and Coverage provision, was written to change that.
Our work to protect vital cancer funding is ongoing, as are our efforts in support of strong tobacco control measures, policies that improve access to health care and improve patients' quality of life and lifesaving prevention and early detection programs. Now is the time to contact your members of Congress and ask them to make fighting cancer a national priority.
Did you know tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death in our country? Yet, our progress in the fight against Big Tobacco is being undermined, according to a report released today by a coalition of public health groups including ACS CAN.
At ACS CAN, we are thankful for the advocacy work our many partners do every day to help our mission of making cancer a national priority with lawmakers. As the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, we are fortunate to have the following as just some of our program partners who are fighting back against cancer.