Today is a very important
day for all of us and our efforts with CANCER MISSION 2020. Earlier this morning we held a Press
Conference, here at the Camp Good Days’ Headquarters, with Congressman Tom
Reed, to announce the re-introduction of the CANCER MISSION 2020 legislation. H. R. 2301 – ‘Clinical Trial Cancer Mission
2020 Act’ was introduced in to the House of Representatives, sponsored by
Congressman Reed and co-sponsored, thus far, by Congresswoman Louise Slaughter
and Congressman Chris Collins.
Joining Congressman Reed
and I this morning were Monroe County Executive, Maggie Brooks; Monroe County
Department of Public Health Director, Dr. Byron Kennedy; Monroe County Clerk,
Cheryl Dinolfo; Rochester City Council Member, Elaine Spaull; Congresswoman
Louise Slaughter’s District Director, Patty Larke; Thompson Health President
& CEO, Michael Stapleton, and others.
I am so pleased that so many people took the time out of what are very
busy schedules to attend the Press Conference and demonstrate their on-going
support for this very important effort.
The CANCER MISSON 2020
legislation will strengthen cancer research reporting requirements to make
research data more available and ensure taxpayer dollars are not being spent on
duplicative studies. The lack of enforcement in reporting clinical trial
results led Congressman Reed to draft and reintroduce legislation that makes it
mandatory for researchers to publish all data from clinical studies, whether
the results are positive or negative. The bill establishes a national
clearinghouse, under the auspices of the National Institute of Health (NIH) and
includes penalties for researchers who do not comply.
As Congressman Reed stated
this morning, we want to make sure important clinical trial results are made
available to all researchers so that we might improve care, increase the
chances of finding a cure, and safeguard taxpayer dollars from funding
redundant research.
Treating cancer costs the
United States over $130 billion each year. This bill ensures taxpayer dollars
are being spent effectively and efficiently, preventing duplicative or
redundant research and withholding future government support from those who
fail to report their research findings. Grantees who receive federal funds to
conduct research must submit clinical trial outcomes within 30 days of their
discovery or face possible ineligibility to apply for future funding.
The reintroduction of this
legislation enables us to move to the second phase of CANCER MISSION 2020, with
a call to action, urging citizens, and our leaders, that finding the answers to
cancer needs to be a priority and on the front burner. This legislation
will also bring us closer to creating a much-needed collaborative and
coordinated effort in the fight against cancer, so that the left hand knows
what the right hand is doing.
As I have shared in the
past, CANCER MISSION 2020 is built upon three key components: INFORMATION –
CALL TO ACTION – ACCOUNTABILITY and is based on a quote I saw many years ago at
the Fred Hutchinson Bone Marrow Transplant Center in Seattle, “There is no limit to what we can
accomplish, as long as it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.”
To put things in
perspective: the odds of tripping while texting are 1 in 10 – the odds of
getting cancer in your lifetime are 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women. 11,000 Americans are dying from cancer every
week – that is one American every single minute. And to bring it even closer to home, cancer is
the leading cause of death, here in Monroe County.
Since we started in December
2010, CANCER MISSION 2020 has made great progress and the website has had
thousands of visitors from all over the world, including all 50 states and 95
foreign countries and thousands have signed the CANCER MISSION 2020 Petition,
both through the website and during a number of Petition Drives that have been
held throughout the Greater Rochester and Monroe County areas.
We need everyone’s help
and support as we move into this call to action phase and work to have the
CANCER MISSION 2020 legislation signed into law. Please take a few minutes to visit the
website, www.cancermission2020.com,
read H.R. 2301, and contact your representative, asking for their support of
this important legislation. And please
share the website, legislation, and petition with your network of contacts,
urging them to do the same. It will only
be through this grassroots work and the support from so many that we will be
successful in our call to action and able to move on to the final phase –
accountability!
