IPCF heads to Washington DC to lobby Congress for Prostate Cancer funding!
International Prostate Cancer Foundation representatives Natalia Kapsalis and Jackie Schueler traveled to Washington DC, alongside Prostate Zero, to lobby Congress for funding for various prostate cancer programs, such as PSA for HIM, Prostate Cancer Research Program, PC Care Act and CDC Prostate Cancer Outreach Program.
Our top priority across our meetings on Capitol Hill this past February was breaking down barriers to prostate cancer screening.
Together with Zero Prostate Cancer, International Prostate Cancer Foundation representatives met with the Offices of Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Florida Senator Rick Scott, as well as Florida Representatives Vern Buchanan, Maxwell Frost, Neal Dunn, and Dan Webster.
Efforts were concentrated toward four Prostate Cancer Legislative Requests:
PSA Screening for HIM Act: This Act would ensure screening coverage is provided at no cost to African American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer under private health insurance plans. We asked Florida Representatives for their support and co-sponsorship of the Act.
Support Prostate Cancer Research at the Department of Defense – The Prostate Cancer Research Program at the Department of Defense is the most impactful federally funded prostate cancer research program. It has contributed to developing 7 new treatments in the last decade. We urged Congress to support $120M for the Program in the 2025 fiscal year defense appropriations bill.
Support Additional CDC Prostate Cancer Outreach to High-Risk Men – The 2023 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill included $15.2M in funding for CDC prostate cancer activities. We asked Congress to increase it to $20M to allow for more outreach to African American and other high-risk men.
PC-CARE Act– We asked congress for their support and co-sponsorship of the PC-CARE Act. This Act was introduced by House Representative and Urologist Greg Murphy to establish a Prostate Cancer Coordinating Committee to monitor, coordinate, and evaluate the activities of Federal prostate cancer research programs. This bill would ensure that federal agencies, Cancer Researchers, Clinicians, and Patient Groups are meeting regularly to discuss priorities in prostate cancer research and align their work with private funders to maximize value and move more quickly toward a cure.
Getting support from additional members of Congress is critical, which means they need to hear from YOU - constituent input is key to Congressional decision making. As survivors AND constituents, you would make the MOST impact. Please reach out to your Senators and House Representatives to urge them to support the initiatives above and please also consider joining us in Washington DC in 2025 to advocate for future prostate cancer patients. Please contact Natalia.kapsalis@adventhealth.com for more information.