Wednesday, December 27, 2000

Barnes announces Georgia Cancer Coalition

NOVEMBER 29, 2000

These young people have spelled it out for us today. We need to focus on cancer in Georgia.

For today, 35 people in Georgia will die of cancer, and 90 more will be diagnosed.

By the end of the year, we will have lost 14,000 citizens to this devastating disease and 30,000 will be fighting to defeat this killer.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Georgia, accounting for one in four deaths each year - chances are someone you know, or even you personally, have been touched by this dreaded disease.

And while Georgia is the 10th largest state in the nation, we are only 27th in the amount of funding we currently get from the federal government.

The statistics are grim. But they are the reality we face.

I'm here today to tell you that we are going to do something about it. Starting now, Georgia is going to join those leading the fight to save lives from cancer. Starting today, we are going to do all we can to give hope to those who already have cancer and help keep others from getting it.

This spring, I shared my vision for Georgia's role in cancer treatment and prevention with the leaders of our medical and research universities as well as leading activists who have long been part of the fight.

We talked about the resources that each group had individually and what an unstoppable machine we could be if we put all those resources together.

And I am proud to announce today that from these discussions has come the Georgia Cancer Coalition.

This Coalition will bring together Georgia's leading hospitals and universities, biotech firms, civic groups and non-profit and government agencies to help treat, prevent and save lives from cancer.

It will be a public/private partnership that will work to build a world-class, comprehensive cancer control program that will benefit our state and eventually, the nation.

The Georgia Cancer Coalition is being set up with five goals:

To prevent cancer and detect existing cancers earlier through education and screening.

To improve access to quality care for all Georgians by establishing a state-wide treatment network.

To train top-notch cancer researchers and caregivers.

To help the state economically by bringing pharmaceutical and research jobs to Georgia and by keeping patients here.

And, most importantly, to save more lives in the future by bringing the best doctors, treatment methods and technology to our state.

These are lofty goals. And it is going to take a lot of hard work and effort to reach them.

No one ever thought this was going to be easy. The most important things we do rarely are.

And I cannot emphasize enough that this is not an effort that the state will - or should - take on alone. The price is too costly and the scope is too vast for any one entity to manage.

But, as Governor, I am going to do all I can to help guarantee the success of the Georgia Cancer Coalition.

To start, I am going to ask the legislature to help fund this effort.

To be done right, this initiative will cost approximately $800 million over the next five to seven years. I am recommending that the state contribute $300 to $400 million in primarily tobacco settlement money over this same period of time.

I will continue to recommend additional funds each year I am Governor. I have said all along that I wanted two-thirds of the tobacco settlement to be spent on health care, and I cannot think of a better commitment than this.

But the state will not be able to fund this alone - we have other obligations we have to meet. If we are going to make this happen, we will have to have the financial support of foundations, pharmaceutical and biotechnological firms and corporations throughout Georgia.

We have begun to talk to a number of potential contributors and I expect to be able to announce the first significant funding sources within the next weeks.

If we are successful in our fundraising efforts for the Coalition, we should be able to leverage our success to receive a bigger piece of federal funds designated for cancer treatment and research in the future.

Let me tell you what this money will pay for.

We plan to bring 150 eminent clinicians and scientists to Georgia to work at our medical centers coordinating research and developing new treatment methods and technologies.

We are going to establish an extensive treatment network - anchored by three cancer centers of excellence. We plan to do all that is necessary for the centers of excellence to earn the highest designation from the National Cancer Institute - the same designation held by M. D. Anderson and Johns Hopkins.

And this network will be expanded through treatment centers in hospitals and coordination with private physicians throughout the state so that every cancer patient in Georgia - no matter where they live or what their resources, will have access to cutting edge treatment and technology.

As you can see from this map, the problem of cancer is throughout the state - not just in the rural areas, or just the metropolitan ones.

So, the first priority of the coalition will be on treatment and screening across Georgia, starting with the areas of highest incidence. No one should have to go far from home to get treatment that will help them detect or fight this dreaded disease. And we will do more public education and awareness to help reduce the chances of getting cancer in the first place.

We are fortunate in that we already have a lot of the resources we need to get this started. We just needed to put them together. For once we get everyone working together, we can begin to move forward.

The slogan we have chosen for the Georgia Cancer Coalition is "mobilizing Georgia, immobilizing cancer."

Everyone knows that troops don't move without a leader. This Coalition will be the leader who takes out troops to battle and doesn't give up until we win - and in the end we will win.

I hope you'll join the fight.

FACT SHEET

Governor Roy E. Barnes has announced an initiative to improve cancer prevention, screening, treatment, training and clinical research in the state. The Georgia Cancer Alliance, a public/private partnership, will coordinate development of a world-class, comprehensive cancer control program for the benefit of all Georgians.

CANCER IN GEORGIA

? Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Georgia, causing almost a quarter of all deaths in the state.

? This year, a projected 13,700 Georgians will die of cancer and almost 33,000 will develop the disease.

? Cancers of the lung, breast, prostate, and colorectum account for more than half of Georgia's cancer deaths.

? Under current trends, one in two men and one in three women in Georgia will develop cancer sometime during their lifetime.

? Only about half of Georgia women 40 and older are screened for breast cancer and about half the adults in the state are screened for colorectal cancer. Early detection can affect survival rates for these cancers.

? Areas with high cancer death rates include Rome, Augusta, Fulton County and many counties in rural south and east Georgia.

THE GEORGIA CANCER ALLIANCE

The Georgia Cancer Alliance will build a coordinated statewide network of cancer care. Public and private hospitals, private physicians and other health care providers will deliver most of the screening and treatment. The initiative calls for non-profit organizations, civic groups and private businesses to participate in prevention programs. Clinical research will include public and private academic institutions.

Public agencies such as the Department of Community Health, which insures almost two million Georgians through Medicaid, the State Health Benefit Plan and PeachCare for Kids, and the Department of Human Resources, which directs the state's cancer control program and supports health departments in every Georgia county, will be involved in prevention and screening.

WHAT THE INITIATIVE AIMS TO ACHIEVE

* Prevent cancer and detect existing cancers earlier. The initiative will work to reduce the number of cancer deaths through a focused education and screening effort, with particular emphasis on the cancers that are the major causes of death. Development of a statewide network of public and private providers will give Georgians greater access to screenings.

* Improve access to quality care for all Georgians with cancer. A network of hospitals will ensure that basic cancer care is available close to home anywhere in the state. More advanced treatment will be available at several medical centers throughout the state and at three cancer centers of excellence, enabling Georgians to get world-class medical care and participate in clinical trials without leaving the state. All Georgia cancer providers will be part of the initiative.

Georgia will undergo an extensive process to earn designation from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for a comprehensive cancer center, the highest designation offered.

* Save more lives in the future. The initiative will recruit 150 eminent scientists and clinicians to Georgia universities and medical centers and coordinate clinical research efforts.

New detection and treatment methods and technology will contribute to the ultimate eradication of cancer.

The initiative will support a bioinformatics program, using biology, mathematics and computers to predict predisposition for specific cancers. The program will be one of the few in the nation specializing in cancer.

* Train future cancer researchers and caregivers. The initiative will develop curriculum standards for training of future clinicians and continuing education for practicing clinicians.

* Realize economic benefits from eradicating cancer. Building partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies will provide quality jobs to Georgians and environmentally clean additions to the economy. Private funding will help support research and launch new developments with commercial potential.

FUNDING

The initiative is expected to cost $300-$400 million over a five to seven year period. It will be supported through tobacco settlement funds, state funds and federal funds. It is anticipated that this will be leveraged as much as 60% with investments from foundations, private pharmaceutical and biotechnological firms, and venture capital firms.

OPERATION

Initially, the Georgia Cancer Alliance will operate under the guidance of the Georgia Research Alliance and its board of directors, which includes many private industry CEOs. During its first year, the Alliance will establish advisory committees and its own governance structure.

For more information contact: Joselyn Butler, 404-651-7774 (media only), or Carol Bennett, 404-651-7757.