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Where You Live Shouldn't Determine Whether You Live
"Where you live shouldn't determine whether you live." That was the message from Susan G. Komen for the Cure® president and CEO Hala Moddelmog and other global cancer leaders who pushed for better funding, tobacco programs, increased research, better prevention and better access to health care for cancer patients worldwide as the 2008 World Cancer Report was issued December 9, 2008.
The report predicts that cancer will be the leading cause of death by 2010, hitting developing countries particularly hard. Moddelmog urged more federal dollars for cancer research and better access to cancer care on a global scale. She also warned that economic struggles in the United States are putting pressure on states to reduce programs that help underinsured or uninsured cancer patients.
Moddelmog, cancer activist and Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong joined Dr. Peter Boyle of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and American Cancer Society President Dr. John Seffrin at an unprecedented joint press conference in Atlanta and issued a six-point challenge:
1) Making vaccines that prevent cancer causing infections more widely available to low-income nations, including specifically combating cervical cancer through Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) efforts to make the HPV vaccine accessible and affordable.
2) Committing to a comprehensive tobacco control approach in the U.S., which includes taking measures proven effective in reducing smoking rates and having Congress grant the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco.
3) Ratifying immediately the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first ever global public health treaty that sets forth comprehensive measures to reduce health and economic impacts of tobacco.
4) Supporting efforts of non-governmental organizations to build advocacy and resources, empower survivors and reduce suffering in low- to middle-income countries by working with governments, medical professionals and the corporate sector to enable individuals to adopt healthier behaviors.
5) Promoting culturally sensitive risk reduction and education campaigns by leveraging our own successful U.S. efforts to help build capacity of nongovernmental organizations in other countries.
6) Investing in cancer research and expanding access to prevention and early detection measures in the U.S., with a specific focus on increasing federal funding of medical research.
To help the Komen Sacramento Affiliate continue to build a strong advocacy voice, contact: communications@komensacramento.org or call 916-492-6474.
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