Carney Joins 'One Voice Against Cancer' Lobby Day

By American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

Local cancer advocate Nanci Carney of Salem, a volunteer from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) will join cancer patients, survivors and caregivers from 15 other national cancer organizations in Washington, D.C., this week to urge lawmakers to increase funding for federal agencies working towards critical cancer research, prevention programs and drug development.

A total of 100 volunteers are uniting as part of an effort by One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC), a coalition of more than 36 groups dedicated to making cancer research funding a top priority. 

“There are more than 13 million cancer survivors in America today, thanks to past investment in research. But 1,500 people still die every day in this country from the disease,” said Carney. “We are urging Congress to continue to capitalize on federal investments in research that have resulted in the dramatic progress we have seen during the past 40 years against cancer.” 

The 13^th annual OVAC Lobby Day will take place July 10 this year, with more than 100 scheduled meetings with Members of Congress and their staff. 
  
Advocates will be calling on Congress to: 

·Increase funding for cancer research and prevention programs at the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   

·Fully support programs supporting cancer patients, including drug development at the Food and Drug Administration, along with the Health Resources and Services Administration Patient Navigator Program, and Title VIII Nursing Programs.  These programs help cancer patients get well faster, by bringing new cancer drugs to market and training the cancer care workforce of tomorrow. 

·Become active members in the House Cancer Caucus and Senate Cancer Coalition. 

“Past federal investments have put the scientific community on the verge of making groundbreaking new discoveries that could accelerate our progress and bring us closer to ending death and suffering from cancer,” said Carney. “If federal cancer research funding is not sustained, the promise of recent discoveries may never become reality for people with cancer and their families.” 

Carney works closely with Society and ACS CAN staff to manage volunteer activities across the state. She also attends meetings with lawmakers on ACS CAN’s priority legislative issues. She has been involved in ACS CAN’s advocacy work since 2005, and has travelled to Washington, D.C. several times to meet with lawmakers. 

According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that this year nearly 1.6 million people in America will be diagnosed with cancer and nearly 580,000 people will die from the disease. Federal funding for medical research and cancer prevention programs has had a role in every major advance against this disease, resulting in 350 more lives saved from the disease per day than in 1991.