Published on February 15, 2011
Updated on November 21, 2017
With record cuts across the board in Congressional spending and constituents at home saving each hard-earned penny, this is not a political environment that bodes well for spending increases of any kind. We know how important prevention is to decreasing our cancer risk and saving healthcare dollars, but does Congress? With so many new faces on Capitol Hill, they may not.
That’s why our Congressional Butt-In is so important, now more than ever!
For those of you who may have joined us last year, you know that educating our legislators and advocating for colorectal cancer happens every March because it’s National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
For those of you who don’t know, the Congressional Butt-In is where folks like you and me, who believe in the importance of prevention, early detection, and treatment of Colorectal Cancer, take a moment out of their day to call their lawmakers and ask them to support legislation that does just that.
Congresswoman Kay Granger (TX-12) and Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-3) will be introducing the Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act of 2011 this March in the House and Senator Joe Lieberman (CT) will be the sponsor in the Senate. Please tell your Federal legislators that you want him/her to support this bill either by co-sponsoring or voting for it when it reaches the House floor for a vote.
Tell them your personal story, share with them some basic facts about Colorectal Cancer being the 2nd largest killer among cancer related deaths in America. But also share that it can be one of the most preventable with regular screening. How preventable? By getting screened, the mortality rates can decrease by up to 80%. And because too many underserved areas in our nation do not have the proper access to care, this disparity affects lives. This bill will help by ensuring better access to quality screening and prevention programs.
So remember to mark your calendar for March 2nd-3rd and call 1-866-615-3375 anytime from 9 AM to 5:30 PM EDT and let your voice be heard!
Questions? Email me at Advocacy@preventcancer.org.
