THE OVARIAN CANCER NATIONAL ALLIANCE
APPLAUDS ENACTMENT OF JOHANNA'S LAW:
THE GYNECOLOGIC CANCER EDUCATION AND AWARENESS ACT
Washington D.C. - December 23, 2010. The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance is pleased that the President has signed and enacted Johanna's Law: The Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act. The 2010 version of Johanna's Law continues to authorize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop and implement campaigns to raise awareness and educate women and medical professionals about the signs and symptoms ofgynecologic cancers. The law allows the CDC to work with national organizations to leverage public-private partnerships and avoid duplication of services and materials. Further, in order to advance these efforts, CDC funding may be available to support public or private non-profit organizations in their efforts to increase awareness of gynecologic cancer symptoms. The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance continues to work with Congress to increase funding for - and support authorization of - Johanna's Law.
This is a reauthorization of a previous law. The law was originally enacted in 2007 and provided up to $16.5 million over three years to the CDC for awareness and education through a national public service campaign that includes written materials and public service announcements. The CDC-led campaign, Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts about Gynecologic Cancer, seeks to raise awareness of the five main types of gynecologic cancer: ovarian, cervical, uterine, vaginal and vulvar. Since 2007, champions and advocates worked to secure funding to implement the law through the annual appropriations process.
Rosa DeLauro, Representative from Connecticut and ovarian cancer survivor was one of the champions of the bill. "No one should have to depend on luck, and this bill will help to educate women, raise awareness of health care providers, and ultimately, save lives," she said.
"As a cosponsor, I am very pleased with the passage of Johanna's Law. I believe it will help inform young ladies as well as physicians about gynecological cancers," stated Representative Dan Burton. "It is extremely important that this be caught early. That is why this law is so important, because it gives women the opportunity to find out about the problems they may face so their survival rate can be increased substantially. A lot of women have lost their lives or had their lives shortened because they were misdiagnosed or the cancer was not noticed at all. This legislation not only improves awareness for the public but also for professionals in the medical field."
According to Dr. Karen Orloff Kaplan, CEO of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, "Johanna's Law is absolutely essential because it provides for robust educational programs for women and those who care for and about them - the only way currently to reduce the number of deaths from this hideous disease." Death rates from ovarian cancer have remained unacceptably high for more than 30 years; currently, fewer than half of women survive five years from diagnosis. Because there is no reliable early detection test, awareness of symptoms is key to detecting ovarian cancer. "Because ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic cancer, it is crucial that the message about symptoms be front and center in this campaign."
The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance is the foremost advocate for women with ovarian cancer in the United States. To advance the interests of women with ovarian cancer, the organization advocates at a national level for increases in research funding for the development of an early detection test, improved health care practices, and life-saving treatment protocols. The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance educates health care professionals and raises public awareness of the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance is a 501 (c) (3) organization established in 1997.
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