Healey Signs Bill to Address Breast Cancer Screening Inequities
Legislation will eliminate costly barriers to follow up breast cancer screening
Patient Groups Call for End to Budget Stalemate, Urge Immediate Prevention Funding
February 15, 2017
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Feb. 15, 2017 – In response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s state budget proposal for fiscal year 2018, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), Illinois Public Health Association, Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force and Susan G. Komen Chicagoland and Memorial affiliates released the following statement:
“As Illinois approaches two years without a complete state budget, cancer prevention services languish. Provider agencies for the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program (IBCCP) have been forced to increase wait times, decrease hours of operation and, in the worst cases, close their doors. When it comes to lifesaving services, this is completely unacceptable.
“Representative Greg Harris recently introduced House Bill 3886 to provide $11 million in state funding for IBCCP, ensuring that low-income or uninsured women will have access to cancer screenings and treatment. We urge our lawmakers to prioritize this legislation and push it through as quickly as possible.
“Every day we put off fully funding IBCCP, another woman is forced to wait for care, and another life is put at risk. It’s grim to think about just how many lives have already been lost or put in danger because of the budget delay. It’s time for the General Assembly to take action before further damage is done.”
Today, representatives from numerous patient groups warned of potential life-and-death ramifications if funding continues to be delayed for the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program. They included Heather Eagleton, Illinois government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network; Tom Hughes, executive director for the Illinois Public Health Association; Anne Marie Murphy, Ph.D., executive director for the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force; Sean Tenner, board president for Susan G. Komen – Chicagoland; and Nick Esser, board president for Susan G. Komen – Memorial.
###
About ACS CAN
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
About the Illinois Public Health Association
Founded in 1940, the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA) is a well-known and respected health organization seen as an innovator in the field of public health, with nearly 7,000 members statewide. An affiliate of the American Public Health Association, IPHA is Illinois’ oldest and largest voluntary organization devoted exclusively to matters of public health. The Association is devoted to fulfilling its mission, which is to improve health in Illinois through leadership in advocacy, education and collaboration. For more information, visit www.ipha.com.
About the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force
The Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force (the Task Force) is an organization committed to fighting structural racism and promoting health equity for all. Our mission is to save women’s lives by eliminating health disparities, through the lens of breast cancer. We address women’s health holistically with the goal of eliminating inequities in prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship for all women.
About Susan G. Komen
Susan G. Komen is the world’s largest breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit while providing real-time help to those facing the disease. Since its founding in 1982, Komen has funded more than $889 million in research and provided $1.95 billion in funding to screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs serving millions of people in more than 30 countries worldwide. Komen was founded by Nancy G. Brinker, who promised her sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would end the disease that claimed Suzy’s life. Visit komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN. Connect with us on social at ww5.komen.org/social.
More Press Releases About