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Cancer claims the lives of 1,500 American people every day. On average, each year there are almost 5,500 new cancer cases and over 2,300 cancer related deaths in Erie County. In Chautauqua County approximately 845 people are diagnosed with cancer and 335 people die from cancer each year. Rep. Brian Higgins (NY-27) believes that eliminating the suffering and death due to this disease by the year 2015 should be America’s goal. Rep. Higgins wants to end the effects of cancer, a disease that has touched over ten million Americans to date.
Rep. Higgins, in response to President Bush’s 2007 budget cuts that reduced the National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding by nearly $40 million, is sponsoring legislation that would entirely fund the NCI. The Higgins Amendment to the Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) Appropriations Bill restores $240 million to the NCI, totaling its funding to over $5 billion. He will continue to sponsor and support legislation that will increase the NCI grant until the institute receives the full funding it needs. Cancer treatment costs have been estimated at $210 billion in 2005. Thanks to recent advancements in research and treatment, nearly two-thirds of adults and 85% of children diagnosed with cancer survive for over five years after their initial diagnosis, compared to only half of patients in 1976. Rep. Higgins’ support of the plan to stamp out cancer by 2015 would stop the inevitable onslaught of new cancer cases that are expected to double by the middle of the century.
Located within Rep. Higgins’ own Western New York district is the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, a premier cancer research and treatment facility and one of the area’s top 20 employers. The Congressman supports research, treatment, and advocacy projects, like Roswell Park, that advance the mission to eradicate cancer and its effects on patients and family alike.
Western New York is also home to cutting edge bio-medical research. The Center of Excellence in Bioformatics and Life Sciences at the University at Buffalo as well as the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus have established the Western New York region as a center of hope and advancement for cancer research and as a leader in scientific development, reenergizing the economy of the Buffalo area and aiding in the recovery of the nation’s cancer patients.
Rep. Higgins will continue to be a staunch champion for cancer research and funding that will expand treatment programs and help with early detection that significantly reduce the cost to our nation’s healthcare system. Particularly in underserved communities, early detection and treatment is key to winning the war on cancer. His legislation will advance and promote the optimal health of the American people.
Visit Rep. Brian Higgins's Official Website
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