FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 8, 2008
CONTACT: Matt Mackowiak
Sen. Hutchison Calls on Key Senate Committee to Partner with Her In Addressing Short-Comings in Cancer Research and Treatment
Joins Lance Armstrong, Advocates in Renewing Efforts in ‘War on Cancer’
WASHINGTON -- Today U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) participated in a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee on legislation she will introduce that is intended to remove barriers currently obstructing progress in cancer research and treatment. At the hearing, Sen. Hutchison called on lawmakers to renew the War on Cancer by continuing efforts to find cures, improve treatments, and better prevent occurrence of the disease.
“This legislation will aim to remove the barriers that we see today,” said Sen. Hutchison. “We know that there could be more progress and coordination in cancer research. That there is so much going on, but it’s not being coordinated well enough to produce the results that we need.”
Sen. Hutchison and HELP Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) are working on legislation to improve access to early detection measures and cancer care, reduce disparities in cancer treatment, increase enrollment in clinical trials, and encourage additional opportunities for cancer research.
Members of the cancer advocacy community, physicians, researchers, and federal agencies have all contributed to the development of the legislation, allowing stakeholders in the War on Cancer to work collaboratively toward a common goal.
Sen. Hutchison said, “The cancer community must embrace a coordinated assault against this disease and an emphasis on cooperative projects that focus on the big picture.”
Also testifying at the HELP Committee hearing were cancer survivors and advocates Elizabeth Edwards and Lance Armstrong, as well as Hala Moddelmog, CEO of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and Steve Case, Chairman and CEO of Revolution Health and Chairman of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure.
Sen. Hutchison is a long-time advocate of efforts to eradicate cancer. She was an original proponent of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp, which has raised more than $56 million for breast cancer research since it became available in 1998. Sen. Hutchison also introduced the Patient Navigator, Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act, which was signed into law in 2005, to give the medically underserved better access to vital health care resources.
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