Time to get involved

[Guest guest]

Your

Representative and Senators will be working in their district offices during

the upcoming July 4th Congressional Recess (July 2-6) and we need you to reach

out to them while they’re home. House and Senate leaders have requested

far less than the amount needed to advance crucial cancer research, but time is

on our side as Members of Congress will be home during the week of July 4th and

won’t make funding decisions until they return to D.C. the week of July

9, making this week a critical time to make our voices heard. WE NEED YOU to

tell Congress NOW not to short-change medical research!

At the link http://www.pancan.org/Public/docs/july4_schedule.pdf

is a list of activities that you can attend. If there are no activities

for your representative you can still and should visit their home office. It is

important that they get to know you and that you represent the prostate cancer

community in your state through your group. You can get the phone number of someone in your state who

can help at this website. http://www.naspcc.org/aboutnaspcc/states.asp

If there is no contact in your state you can and should still act. If

you go to your legislator’s

home office have several people attend if possible.

http://www.pancan.org/Public/docs/july4_schedule.pdf

Following your conversation with

your Member of Congress and/or his/her staff, please don’t forget to

contact

kmeadeorgaec225 to let us know how it went.

Sample Question and Talking Points for

July 4th Recess Activities

Public Meetings and Events (i.e.,

Fourth of July Parades, Town Hall Meetings, etc.)

You may only have 1-2 minutes to

speak with the Member of Congress so be prepared to ask this question and make

a brief statement: Please feel free to put the statement in your own words. The

“important” parts are in bold. It is OK to print this question out

and to read from it.

[start by stating your name and one sentence why this

issue is important to you…e.g., My name Doe and I am here today

because I have prostate cancer or my husband/father/brother/uncle had/has

prostate cancer.] Our

hope lies in research, but for the last several years, the budgets of the

National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute have seen

little to no true growth. While I appreciate the House and Senate

Appropriations Committees’ efforts to increase funding, the reality is

that the increases they are considering will not lead to growth. I want answers about this disease. I want to know how

to tell my children and grandchildren how to prevent it and know that if they

get it they will have treatment options. My understanding is that it is not too late to

fix this problem of under-funding research in the Labor-HHS bill. Will you go

to your Leadership next week and ask them to add more money for cancer research

in the Labor-HHS funding bill?

If time allows, use the talking

points below to guide your discussion.

Visit to a District Office

When visiting the district office

of your Representative and/or Senator, first ask to speak with the

Representative and/or Senator and, if they’re not available, ask to speak

with the staff person that handles health issues. Keep in mind that speaking

with the staff person is just as important! Be prepared to have 5-10 minutes to

speak with him/her.

As someone who has

been touched by prostate cancer, I am deeply concerned that it has remained the

most common cancer in men and that there are currently no early detection tools

approved by the CDC or proven prevention methods and few effective treatments

for this disease in later stages. [in 1-2 sentences, describe how you’ve

been touched by prostate cancer].

While increases in

other health and education programs have risen an average of 6.4 percent, the

House of Representatives proposed a meager 1.9 percent increase for the

National Institutes of Health (NIH), which includes the National Cancer

Institute (NCI). The Senate proposal is slightly better. While we appreciate

the fact that this is an increase, it won’t begin to make up for the last

several years of flat funding at the NIH.

I am joining other

cancer advocates in asking Congress not to short-change medical research! It is

unlikely that the NIH and NCI will be able to make the scientific breakthroughs

that are needed to save lives if flat funding continues. The good news is that

it is not too late to correct this situation.

When you return to

DC next week please let Congressional leadership know that the current funding

level for the NIH, which includes the NCI, needs to be fixed so that we can

begin to make true progress on diseases like prostate cancer.

Thank you so much

for your time

[Guest guest]

Kathy.I sent a letter recently to my senator..I received letter today..Standard reply..He says will keep it in his mind when going over budget !!!!!!!!!!!!!>> Your Representative and Senators will be working in their district offices> during the upcoming July 4th Congressional Recess (July 2-6) and we need you> to reach out to them while they're home. House and Senate leaders have> requested far less than the amount needed to advance crucial cancer> research, but time is on our side as Members of Congress will be home during> the week of July 4th and won't make funding decisions until they return to> D.C. the week of July 9, making this week a critical time to make our voices> heard. WE NEED YOU to tell Congress NOW not to short-change medical> research!> > At the link http://www.pancan.> <http://www.pancan.org/Public/docs/july4_schedule.pdf>> org/Public/docs/july4_schedule.pdf is a list of activities that you can> attend. If there are no activities for your representative you can still and> should visit their home office. It is important that they get to know you> and that you represent the prostate cancer community in your state through> your group. You can get the phone number of someone in your state who can> help at this website. http://www.naspcc.org/aboutnaspcc/states.asp If there> is no contact in your state you can and should still act. If you go to your> legislator's home office have several people attend if possible.> > http://www.pancan. <http://www.pancan.org/Public/docs/july4_schedule.pdf>> org/Public/docs/july4_schedule.pdf > > Following your conversation with your Member of Congress and/or his/her> staff, please don't forget to contact> > kmeadeorg@... to let us know how it went.> > > > Sample Question and Talking Points for July 4th Recess Activities> > > > Public Meetings and Events (i.e., Fourth of July Parades, Town Hall> Meetings, etc.)> > You may only have 1-2 minutes to speak with the Member of Congress so be> prepared to ask this question and make a brief statement: Please feel free> to put the statement in your own words. The "important" parts are in bold.> It is OK to print this question out and to read from it.> > [start by stating your name and one sentence why this issue is important to> you.e.g., My name Doe and I am here today because I have prostate> cancer or my husband/father/brother/uncle had/has prostate cancer.] Our hope> lies in research, but for the last several years, the budgets of the> National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute have seen> little to no true growth. While I appreciate the House and Senate> Appropriations Committees' efforts to increase funding, the reality is that> the increases they are considering will not lead to growth. I want answers> about this disease. I want to know how to tell my children and grandchildren> how to prevent it and know that if they get it they will have treatment> options. My understanding is that it is not too late to fix this problem of> under-funding research in the Labor-HHS bill. Will you go to your Leadership> next week and ask them to add more money for cancer research in the> Labor-HHS funding bill?> > If time allows, use the talking points below to guide your discussion.> > > > Visit to a District Office> > When visiting the district office of your Representative and/or Senator,> first ask to speak with the Representative and/or Senator and, if they're> not available, ask to speak with the staff person that handles health> issues. Keep in mind that speaking with the staff person is just as> important! Be prepared to have 5-10 minutes to speak with him/her.> > * As someone who has been touched by prostate cancer, I am deeply concerned> that it has remained the most common cancer in men and that there are> currently no early detection tools approved by the CDC or proven prevention> methods and few effective treatments for this disease in later stages. [in> 1-2 sentences, describe how you've been touched by prostate cancer].> > * While increases in other health and education programs have risen an> average of 6.4 percent, the House of Representatives proposed a meager 1.9> percent increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which includes> the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The Senate proposal is slightly better.> While we appreciate the fact that this is an increase, it won't begin to> make up for the last several years of flat funding at the NIH.> > * I am joining other cancer advocates in asking Congress not to short-change> medical research! It is unlikely that the NIH and NCI will be able to make> the scientific breakthroughs that are needed to save lives if flat funding> continues. The good news is that it is not too late to correct this> situation.> > * When you return to DC next week please let Congressional leadership know> that the current funding level for the NIH, which includes the NCI, needs to> be fixed so that we can begin to make true progress on diseases like> prostate cancer.> > * Thank you so much for your time > > > > ,___>