Tool Kit Explains Emerging Cancer-Fighting Strategy for States

For Immediate Release

June 6, 2005

Contact: Jack Penchoff

859-244-8246

jpenchoff@csg.org

CSG's Healthy States Initiative gives policy-makers ideas for a more effective approach

LAKE TAHOE, CA – Bring together all public and private cancer-fighting resources under a comprehensive plan and your attack on cancer will be more effective and may save many more lives.

That’s the simple, but powerful idea behind a new tool kit released today by The Council of State Governments’ Healthy States Initiative on an emerging cancer-fighting strategy for states. The tool kit, Comprehensive Approaches to Cancer Control, is designed to give state policy-makers—particularly state legislators—the information and resources they need to champion a more coordinated assault on cancer in their own states.

“It’s time to launch a more aggressive, coordinated attack on cancer,” says Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner in a letter accompanying the tool kit. “We are missing opportunities to save many more lives because of the way we fight cancer today.”

According to Minner and other cancer policy experts, today the programs and organizations that work to prevent and control cancer typically focus on a particular cancer site such as breast, lung or prostate. This “body-part” focus has grown rapidly in the past 10 years, and has achieved successes. Still, cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States.

“Like every other state, we have got a tight budget,” Minner says, “so we have to be smart in how we fight cancer. And that means getting all the stakeholders and programs working together on a comprehensive plan so we don’t duplicate efforts or miss opportunities. The bottom line is: in fighting cancer we have to make sure that every dollar goes as far as it can to save lives.”

Delaware’s ambitious and coordinated attack on cancer is described in one of the tool kit components highlighting promising practices in the states. Other tool kit components include: a brief “talking points” card about the benefits of comprehensive cancer control, data about the human and financial costs of cancer, a question-and-answer brochure about the comprehensive approach, sample legislation and a state-by-state guide to further information about comprehensive cancer control efforts.

CSG is the premier multibranch organization forecasting policy trends for the community of states, commonwealths and territories on a national and regional basis.

CSG’s Healthy States Initiative brings together state legislators, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state health department officials and public health experts to share information, analyze trends, identify innovative responses and provide expert advice on public health issues. CSG’s partners in the initiative are the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.

The tool kit can be downloaded from CSG’s Healthy States’ Web site at www.healthystates.csg.org.