Pennsylvania Cancer Action Day

We are looking forward to having you join us in Harrisburg on Tuesday, May 7th for our annual Cancer Action Day from 9-5pm! Survivors, advocates, caregivers, and more will come together from across the state to advocate for life-saving policies. No prior experience is needed, we will provide training and resources ahead of time and book lawmaker meetings for you. All you need to bring is your passion in the fight against cancer. See you at the Capitol!

Here is the Cancer Action Day Training Manual which includes information on our policies/the asks we will be making, guidance for your lawmaker meetings, and logistical information: Training Manual PDF

If you are in a House or Senate meeting with 3+ constituents, you will have a Meeting Captain to help determine speaking roles. Take a look at the group meetings here (note, this list includes any meetings with 2 or more constituents):  https://www.fightcancer.org/2024-pa-cancer-action-day-group-meetings

The group meeting will look like this, but the asks can be organized however you like. If there are 4 personal stories that relate to the 4 asks, remember they have to be short. Here is an example:

• Introductions + purpose of meeting

• Biomarker story + ask

• Paid Family and Medical Leave + ask

• Medical debt + ask

• Budget (prevention programs) + ask

• Conclusion w/reiterating the 4 asks

At each meeting, you will be dropping off a "leave behind" packet for your lawmaker, which includes background infomation on our asks. If you are curious to see what is in those packets, take a look at these factsheets:

• 2024 Legislative Priorities

• PA Facts + Figures

• Biomarker Testing Factsheet

• Paid Family and Medical Leave Factsheet

• Medical Debt Factsheet

• PA Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Factsheet

• PA Tobacco Control Program Factsheet

Check out this site for maps of the Capitol, and this site for directions and parking. Remember that we will reimburse for paid parking, just keep your receipt!

You are welcome to join "office hours" to ask any questions or practice your personal story before Cancer Action Day.

• Thursday, May 2nd from 12-1pm

  • Teams link: Click here to join the meeting

  • Meeting ID:  293-507-471-549 and Passcode: KrsiC9

• Thursday, May 2nd from 4:30-5:30pm

  • Teams link: Click here to join the meeting

  • Meeting ID:  299-338-089-207 and Passcode: CcQUhf

Below is more information on the asks that we will be making on Cancer Action Day. We will go over everything in detail during the virtual training so that you feel confident going into meetings with your lawmakers. Remember, sharing your connection to cancer will make all the difference!

We are asking our lawmakers to:

• Expand access to biomarker testing (when medically recommended) for all Pennsylvanians

  • Once diagnosed with cancer, biomarker testing can help lead to targeted treatment for an individual's specific type of cancer, improving outcomes and leading to better quality of life

  • Not all insurance plans currently cover comprehensive biomarker testing, leaving many communities behind. We are working to change this so that all patients can have access to this important testing

  • For more information and actions that you can take, check out our biomarker testing campaign page

• Establish a Paid Family and Medical Leave Program

  • About 4 million workers in PA do not have access to paid family leave through their jobs, which means they may have to make impossible choices between work and caring for themselves or their family.

  • Access to paid family and medical leave contributes to positive outcomes such as being able to complete treatment, manage symptoms, and afford treatment. This makes an important difference for patients, survivors, and their caregivers.

• Establish a Medical Debt Relief Program and wipe out $400 million in medical debt (budget ask)

  • In a 2022 ACS CAN survey, 73% of cancer survivors said they are worried about affording the cost of their current or future cancer care.

  • Medical debt may have a direct effect on cancer care: high costs can lead to delayed treatment.

• Continue to fund critical cancer prevention programs

  • The PA Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection program helps ensure that all women can access regular screenings, which is crucial for early detection

  • Statewide tobacco prevention and cessation programs help people struggling with tobacco addiction and prevent kids from starting to use tobacco products, lowering instances of lung cancer

For more information on these issues and other policies that we are advocating for, take a look at our 2024 Legislative Priorities page

In advance of Cancer Action Day, you are required to attend a virtual training hosted by the ACS CAN team. Here is the information to join via Teams, if you have any issues just let Lydia know.

• Tuesday, April 23rd from 7-8 pm

  • Teams link: Click here to join the meeting

    • Meeting ID: 249-537-394-131 and Passcode: ddACfQ

• Thursday, April 25th at 12-1 pm

  • Teams link: Click here to join the meeting

    • Meeting ID: 259-897-662-873 and Passcode: FAEs7f

• Tuesday, April 30th at 7-8 pm

  • Teams link: Click here to join the meeting

  • Meeting ID: 272-942-718-834 and Passcode: RPVd7s

We will continue to update this page with additional resources, so be sure to check back. If you have any questions, please reach out to PA Grassroots Manager, Lydia Lippold-Gelb, at [email protected]