WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, called Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) to ask what was needed to fight the Breast cancer epidemic in Marin County. Secretary Thompson, whose wife is a breast cancer survivor, asked the Congresswoman to send a letter so that he could help. Today, Rep. Woolsey replied to Thompson asking for general support and additional resources.

In her letter to Secretary Thompson, Rep. Woolsey explained that the communities of Marin and Sonoma County need an immediate $1.5 million to bolster ongoing breast cancer research. Also, she requested a senior epidemiologist from the national health institutes to work on site with the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services. Rep. Woolsey stated in the letter that “coordination and local presence is critical to ensuring open communication between the federal government and Marin County.”

“Secretary Thompson’s response reflects his desire to fight breast cancer,” said Rep. Woolsey. “Attention to the breast cancer epidemic in Marin County is important because if we can find out what is happening in Marin, we can help women fight breast cancer throughout the nation.”

“Rep. Lynn Woolsey understands the dilemma facing women and families in Marin,” said Dr. Larry Meredith, Director of the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services. “Rep. Woolsey’s ability to move the levers of power to focus federal resources to the breast cancer epidemic in Marin County, has helped turn this crisis in Marin into an opportunity for the nation.”

Rep. Woolsey actively supports national and local efforts for research and treatment of breast cancer. She secured a commitment from the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to put together a process to examine the high breast cancer rate in Marin County. In response to Rep. Woolsey’s request, the NIH developed a plan to determine actual breast cancer rates in Marin and other counties based on 2000 census data, define the role of known risk factors and define the role of environmental factors. As part of an ongoing process to find a cause of the high rate of breast cancer in Marin County, Rep. Woolsey supports a Bay area application for a “Centers for Excellence” award to understand the environmental factors related to breast cancer.

###