Published on January 13, 2016
President Obama calls on America to end cancer in last State of the Union address
Vice President Biden says, “This is our moonshot.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lisa Berry
703-519-2107
lisa.berry@preventcancer.org
WASHINGTON— In his final State of the Union address, President Obama announced a national effort to end cancer. This new initiative, led by Vice President Joe Biden, will strive to solve the greatest public health issue of our time. “For the loved ones we’ve all lost, for the family we can still save, let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all,” Obama said.
Following the State of the Union address, Vice President Joe Biden released a statement about the initiative. He announced that the effort will focus on two priorities: increasing resources (both public and private) to fight cancer, and breaking down the silos to share information and coordinate among “cancer fighters” to increase access to information.
We are encouraged by the Administration’s dedication to join us in the fight to end cancer, and confident that they recognize the pivotal role of prevention and early detection in saving lives. The Prevent Cancer Foundation applauds President Obama and Vice President Biden for prioritizing funding for medical research and increasing coordination across the spectrum.
“Fifty-five years ago, President John F. Kennedy stood before a joint session of Congress and said, ‘I believe we should go to the moon.’ It was a call to humankind,” Biden said.
“This is our moonshot.”
About The Prevent Cancer Foundation
Founded in 1985, the Prevent Cancer Foundation is the only U.S. nonprofit organization focused solely on cancer prevention and early detection. Since its inception, the Foundation has provided more than $142 million in support of cancer prevention and early detection research, education, outreach and advocacy programs across the country.
For more information, please visit www.preventcancer.org.
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