Susan G. Komen for the Cure(R) Advocacy Alliance Applauds Obama for Commitment to Health Reform, Cancer Research, in Budget Blueprint

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Susan G. Komen for the Cure(R) Advocacy Alliance applauds President Barack Obama for laying the groundwork for fundamental health care reform and for his commitment to discovering and delivering the cures to cancer with the release of his first budget blueprint today.

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“We were thrilled Tuesday evening to hear President Obama voice his commitment to reforming our health care system this year, as well as his desire to make discovering the cures for cancer a top national priority,” said Martina Hone, president of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance. “With this budget outline, the president has reaffirmed his commitment to double funding for cancer research and finding a cure for cancer in our lifetime. If this budget becomes law, it will lay the foundation for increasing access to health care for all and will help energize the search for the cures for cancer.”

The Komen Advocacy Alliance highlighted several items in the president’s budget blueprint that will help set us on a path to discover and deliver the cures for cancer:

• Investing in Cancer Research: The president begins fulfilling his pledge to double funding for cancer research by dedicating more than $6 billion within the National Institutes of Health to support cancer research. This builds upon the $10 billion included in the economic stimulus package, which will support new cancer research in 2009 and 2010.
• Investing in the Public Health Workforce: The president commits to strengthening the public health workforce — doctors, nurses and other public health professionals — which will improve access, particularly for underserved communities.
• Investing in Prevention and Wellness: Following on the $1 billion investment in prevention and wellness in the economic stimulus package, the president has expressed a commitment to improve screening tools to detect cancer and other diseases at an early stage when they are more treatable.

“President Obama is setting the stage for reigniting the war against cancer,” said Hone. “Now it is up to Congress to follow suit. 2.5 million breast cancer survivors, the people who love them and our hundreds of thousands of activists look forward to working with Congress to make this vision a reality.”

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance is a voice for change on Capitol Hill, in state legislatures and on the campaign trail. With the help of nearly 200,000 Komen Champions and Komen’s network of 122 domestic affiliates, we are aggressively seeking increased funding for research and greater access to screening and treatment. The Komen Advocacy Alliance engages policymakers and leaders at all levels of government to advocate for an increased investment in breast cancer research and greater access to breast health services.

SOURCE Susan G. Komen for the Cure(R) Advocacy Alliance