HRSA -

	U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration HRSA NEWS ROOM http://newsroom.hrsa.gov

October 13, 2006

Contact: HRSA Press Office
301-443-3376

HRSA Awards $495,770 for New Cancer and Tobacco Control Initiative in Health Centers

HRSA Administrator Betty Duke today announced a new grant program totaling $495,770 to support the implementation of cancer and tobacco control programs in HRSA-funded health centers.

Grants averaging close to $50,000 each for up to three years will go to 10 state-based Primary Care Associations (PCAs) to provide training and technical assistance to help health centers in these efforts.

Under the grants, PCAs will work with state Primary Care Offices – which are usually part of the state health department – to take an active role in the state’s cancer and tobacco control coalitions. PCAs will ensure that the work of the state coalitions are shared with and integrated into health center operations, leading to better health outcomes for patients.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and tobacco use is the greatest single cause of cancer incidence and mortality. Since 1994, some 12 million premature deaths have been attributed to smoking in the United States.

The 1,000 HRSA-supported health center grantees also fight cancer by implementing the Cancer Screening Collaborative, which promotes organizational change within health centers so that coordinated cancer screenings and follow-ups occur in a predictable and timely fashion. For additional information on this and other HRSA Health Disparities Collaboratives, visit: http://www.healthdisparities.net.

Under President Bush’s Health Center Growth Initiative (http://bphc.hrsa.gov/chc/pi.htm), the number of patients treated annually at HRSA-supported health centers has grown from 10.3 million in 2001 to 14.1 million in 2005, a 37 percent increase.

The FY 2006 Initiative to Implement Cancer and Tobacco Control Programs in health centers grantees are listed below.

FY 2006 Initiative to Implement Cancer and Tobacco Control Programs in Health Centers Award Recipients
Organization	City	State	Amount
Community Health Centers of Arkansas	North Little Rock	Ark.	$50,000
Mid-Atlantic Association of Community Health Centers	Lanham	Md.	$50,000
Michigan Primary Care Association	Lansing	Mich.	$50,000
New Mexico Primary Care Association	Albuquerque	N.M.	$50,000
North Carolina Community Health Center Association	Morrisville	N.C.	$50,000
Oklahoma Community Health Center	Oklahoma	Okla.	$50,000
Rhode Island Health Center Association	Providence	R.I.	$50,000
Tennessee Primary Care Association	Brentwood	Tenn.	$50,000
Virginia Primary Care Association	Richmond	Va.	$45,770
Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association	Madison	Wis.	$50,000
TOTAL:			$495,770