Statement from Donald Distasio, CEO, American Cancer Society of NY & NJ, regarding Gov. Christie’s proposed 2012 state budget.
“A money-saving investment in programs that prevent and detect cancer early is a wise fiscal strategy in challenging times. In this tough budget climate, it’s hard to see value through dollar signs, but Gov. Christie has shown that he understands how important cancer screening is for New Jerseyans, by preserving funding for the NJ Cancer Education and Early Detection Program(NJ CEED) in the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services.
The NJ CEED program provides breast, cervical, prostate and colorectal cancer screenings to low-income uninsured men and women in the state. NJ CEED serves an average of 20,000 women annually. CEED screening sites conducted almost 12,000 mammograms, approximately 12,500 pap tests for cervical cancer screenings, over 4,000 colorectal cancer screenings, and more than 1,200 prostate exams for men. We want people to know that health insurance should not be an obstacle to cancer screening. There are resources available to access free screening, timely diagnosis and treatment if necessary. This program is one of several to preventative health and save healthcare dollars.
The American Cancer Society is pleased that Gov. Christie recognizes the significance of these programs and we look forward to working with the Senate and Assembly to assure that these programs continue to receive the necessary funding.”
Additional Resources:
ACS CAN New Jersey page on NJ CEED
NJ CEED's web site
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About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
After months of delay and hard negotiations, Congress has finally passed a funding bill! The bill includes a small increase for cancer research and prevention programs.