ASC officials expect the new Democratic controlled Congress will be good for its legislative agenda

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network has appointed a president to build a nationwide political movement that will hopefully improve cancer care.

In December, Daniel Smith was appointed president of The Cancer Action Network, a branch of ASC that was founded five years ago as a 501 (c) (4), which gives it legal authority to collect funds and be politically active.

“Under Dan’s leadership, ACS CAN will inspire more Americans to take a stand with their lawmakers and convince them to pass strong laws that help us fight cancer to the immeasurable benefit of our nation,” said John Seffrin, CEO of both the Society and ACS CAN.

Smith has been vice president of government relations for six years at ASC, and was instrumental in the creation of CAN. He founded and leads One Voice Against Cancer, a coalition of more than 40 cancer-related groups that has successfully advocated for billions of dollars in federal funding for cancer research and programs.

“Dan has been a highly effective leader in helping to take cancer advocacy to a new level,” said Laura Hildeerley, volunteer chair of the ACS CAN board.
Smith spent 10 years on Capital Hill working for Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), four of those years as his chief of staff.

“The American Cancer Society believes that cancer should be a higher national priority,” said Smith. “More than 560,000 Americans will die of cancer this year and those are huge numbers. We really need to rededicate the country to the war on cancer.”

CAN has an aggressive 2007 federal legislative agenda the will hopefully elevate cancer to the nation’s priority list. One of the top issues is getting Congress to give the Food and Drug Administration regulatory control over tobacco and tobacco products.

“It’s the only consumer product that is not regulated. If you put out a box of macaroni and cheese, it has to get FDA approval,” Smith said.

The use of tobacco is the cause for more than 435,000 people deaths annually. Giving the FDA regulatory authority over tobacco would help reduce tobacco use. There are three primary goals the ASC CAN wants to accomplish if the FDA is given authority over tobacco.
· Require changes in products to make them less harmful and less addictive;
· Require disclosure of ingredients and tobacco industry research and prohibit unsubstantiated health claims on “reduced risk” products such as low tar cigarettes; and
· Require that larger, more informative warnings be placed on tobacco products
Other legislative objectives for the ASC CAN include:
· Expanding access to quality cancer care, such as through the successful National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.
· Strengthen the country’s commitment to medical research, such as a minimum budget increase of 5 percent a year to the National Cancer Institute.
· Increasing the importance of prevention and early detection programs, such as eliminating costly co-pays for cancer screenings.
· Making health system reform a priority with comprehensive, bipartisan solutions that address gaps in access to quality care, a major impediment to win the war on cancer.

This agenda is listed on the “Congressional Cancer Promise,” a document CAN is trying to get every member of Congress to sign. “We have about 340 lawmakers who have signed on,” Smith said.

Many signed the Promise document during a cancer awareness rally on Capitol Hill in September, which brought more than 10,000 cancer survivors, patients, caregivers and supporters to the National Mall.

“This is a good start,” said Dr. Peter Yu, oncologist with Camino Medical Group in Sunnyvale, and past president of the Association of Northern California Oncologists.

The policy and laws passed by Congress has a powerful impact on the way health care is delivered nationwide. Physicians need to stay abreast of the political process for the sake of their business and patients, Dr. Yu said.

“Our patients look to us for important guidance on these policy issues, and we need to be able to answer their questions in a meaningful manner,” Dr. Yu said.

The new Democratic controlled Congress could open new opportunities to make progress on the legislative agenda.

“We believe there is a real shot to pass the FDA authority over to tobacco,” Smith said.

—By Troy May

Posted on January 19, 2007 03:19 PM