Bill will reauthorize an important program for New York women

March 27, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Later today, Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand will vote in favor of H.R. 1132, a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). The NBCCEDP provides low-income women with little or no health insurance access to mammograms, pap tests, surgical consultations and diagnostic testing.

"I am proud to vote to extend this program that provides life-saving cancer screenings to millions of low-income women. Early detection and treatment is essential to fighting these types of cancers, and unfortunately, there are too many women in upstate New York, who do not have access to mammograms or Pap tests." Congresswoman Gillibrand added, "It is my hope that this bill is a step toward increasing access to and awareness of breast and cervical cancer screenings for all women".

Since the program’s inception in 1991, the NY BCCED has screened 279,062 women using federal funds. New York women have received 150,562 mammograms and 130,197 Pap tests. The program has diagnosed 1,547 cases of breast cancer and 78 invasive cervical cancers.

H.R. 1132, which reauthorizes the NBCCEP through 2012, focuses on early detection of breast and cervical cancer screenings. When the cancer is detected at its earliest stages, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is nearly 98% and more than 92% for cervical cancer.

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