Cancer strikes one out of every two men and one out of every three women, killing 17 Arkansans every day. People with cancer on average lose up to 15 years of productive life, however, people are increasingly living with cancer rather than dying from it. Arkansas has invested in biomedical research, cancer prevention, early detection and care. Due to this investment, since 1991, the death rate from cancer has actually declined. In fact, cancer is one of the most preventable and increasingly curable of the chronic diseases when detected early.

The American Cancer Society has established a 2015 goal of reducing the cancer death rate by 50%, cancer incidence by 25% and a measurable improvement in the quality of life for all cancer survivors. It is now possible to envision such a goal because past commitments to cancer research and programs have allowed us to greatly accelerate progress toward a time when people live with cancer rather than die from it.

Make Health System Reform a Priority by:
• Educating myself about the gaps in the current system as it impacts our fight against cancer
• Supporting meaningful reform
• Incorporating quality of care measures as a part of health system reform

Reduce and Prevent Suffering from Tobacco-Related Illness by:
• Continuing effective usage of Master Settlement Agreement funds
• Increasing the cost of tobacco products throughout the State of Arkansas
• Ensuring tobacco cessation services are included in Medicare and Medicaid coverage
• Restricting internet tobacco sales

Expand Access to Quality Cancer Care Through Prevention and Detection by:
• Increasing funding for BreastCare for early detection and treatment of breast and cervical cancers
• Allocating additional funds for the state Colorectal Cancer Control Program
• Maintaining and increasing funding for prostate cancer education to address prostate cancer issues
• Securing funding for the Arkansas Central Cancer Registry

Reduce the Cancer Burden Among Disadvantaged Populations
• Maintaining ARKids First and other programs that provide screening, diagnosis and treatment services to children
• Making sure that Medicaid benefits are not reduced

Promote Research That Addresses Disparities in Cancer Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment by:
• Identifying and addressing barriers that prevent citizens such as the disabled, African-Americans, Hispanics, and older populations from receiving high quality health care
• Supporting and evaluating pilot programs offering best-practice interventions that eliminate these barriers