WASHINGTON, D.C. May 17, 2016 - The U.S. Senate today rejected an amendment to the combined Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2017 that threatened to eliminate dollars for the Prevention and Public Health Fund (the Prevention Fund).
Following is a statement from Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN):
ACS CAN applauds the Senate for preserving funding for the Prevention Fund to continue supporting strategies in every state to prevent death and suffering from a variety of chronic diseases including cancer. We are pleased the senators understand that as a nation we must prioritize funding for diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, at the same time we respond to the emerging Zika threat.
Since the Prevention Fund was created by Congress in 2010, we have seen the benefits of this fund with investments in cancer screening programs, tobacco cessation, improved diet and nutrition services, as well as access to physical activity programs. The Prevention Fund invests in community-focused, evidence-based strategies that work to combat cancer and other diseases.
This year alone, more than 1.6 million people will receive a new cancer diagnosis, and 595,690 Americans will die from the disease. Yet we know that half of all cancer deaths could be avoided with appropriate prevention and early detection strategies. Prevention Fund dollars are critical in this effort. Yesterday, ACS CAN sent a letter to senators urging them to vote against the amendment. To read the full text of the letter, click here.
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.
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