WASHINGTON – December 13, 2009 – “The Senate today showed a renewed commitment to defeating cancer, passing an FY 2010 domestic appropriations bill that includes long overdue increases for cancer prevention services and helps to sustain critical research funding levels. The legislation would provide an 8.8 percent increase for cancer prevention and control programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a 2.3 percent increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including a 2.8 percent increase for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and a 2.7 percent increase for the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD).
“After seven years of flat or cuts to funding for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program run by the CDC, more low-income women across the county will be able to access lifesaving mammography and Pap tests that will catch cancers when they are easier to survive and less expensive to treat. A colorectal cancer screening program will give low-income individuals access to screenings that can detect pre-cancerous lesions and prevent the disease altogether thanks to a 14 percent funding boost. Additional funding will enable tobacco cessation programs like Quitlines to better aid smokers in quitting, helping to stop an addiction that kills 400,000 Americans each year.
“The bill also includes increases for cancer research that, when coupled with money designated in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act earlier this year, will ensure that ongoing lifesaving cancer research will continue and that we will increase our knowledge to better address cancer disparities. The funding will support the development of new tools for early detection and cancer fighting treatments that are still in the early stages. We are optimistic that Congress will work to sustain the research capacity currently being built across the country in FY 2011, fostering innovation and the development of new opportunities in scientific research.
“Family members affected by cancer commend lawmakers, specifically Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Inouye, for supporting this effort that will continue to fund important cancer research and early detection programs. We encourage the President to quickly sign this lifesaving legislation into law. Only with proper funding can the NIH, NCI, NCHMD, and the CDC conduct their important work to conquer a disease that will kill an estimated 560,000 Americans and cost the economy more than $228 billion this year.
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.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Christina Saull
(202) 585-3250
[email protected]
Alissa Havens
(202) 661-5772
[email protected]
