Advocacy in Action!
IlliNOISY Advocates Sandra Kirmeyer & Ollie Ferrell at Project LEAD in Nov.
2005.
Don't miss the Health Care Justice Act Public Hearing happening in your district!
Tues., December 13th
4 - 7 p.m.
Illinois Hospital Association - 1151 E. Warrenville Rd., Naperville, IL
13th Congressional District
Wed., December 14th
4-7 p.m.
Aurora Christian High School - 2255 Sullivan Rd., Aurora, IL
14th Congressional District
Come to the hearing - this is YOUR chance to be part of the health care solution
in Illinois!
23,774 and counting – 50,000 are needed - have you enrolled yet? THE SISTER
STUDY NEEDS YOU! The number is growing but more are needed. This study is for those who have
a sister who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
THE FINAL VOTE: ALDERMAN SMITH'S 100% COMPREHENSIVE ORDINANCE WILL COME TO A
VOTE ON DECEMBER 7, 2005
Project LEAD® is a science training course developed by the National Breast Cancer Coalition
designed to help breast cancer activists influence research and public policy
processes.
Upcoming Project LEAD Dates and locations:
Washington, DC (Clinical Trials LEAD), January19-22, 2006 - Application deadline
passed
Houston, TX (Basic Project LEAD), March 22-26, 2006 - Application deadline January
22, 2006
San Jose, CA (Quality Care LEAD), August 2-6, 2006 - Application deadline June
2, 2006
United Airlines helped ten IlliNOISY Advocates to attend the 2005 NBCC Advocacy
Conference in Washington, DC.
Thank you United Airlines!
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December 2005 IlliNOISY News
Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season and a Healthy New Year!
The latest news from the Y-ME IlliNOISY Advocacy Network! Watch for the most
recent edition in your inbox the first Tuesday of each month.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Advocacy in Action: Training to Influence Research and Policy
In November 2005, IlliNOISY Advocates Ollie Ferrell and Sandra Kirmeyer completed
Project LEAD training in Washington, DC. Project LEAD® is a science training course developed by the National Breast Cancer Coalition
Fund designed to help breast cancer activists influence research and public policy
processes. Y-ME believes that breast cancer advocates should play an integral
role in all breast cancer decision making because they bring a unique and critical
perspective to the research, scientific and policy review processes. To be successful
and effective in these areas, advocates must be prepared with the knowledge and
background to critically appraise research proposals and policy initiatives.
Ollie and Sandra are both looking forward to putting the knowledge they gained
to use!
Upcoming Project LEAD Dates and locations:
Houston, TX (Basic Project LEAD), March 22-26, 2006 - Application deadline January
22, 2006
San Jose, CA (Quality Care LEAD), August 2-6, 2006 - Application deadline June
2, 2006
Less Pink, More Research on Breast Cancer and the Environment
Priority #3: Enactment of the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act (H.R. 2231 / S.
757)
At this time there are 60 Senate cosponsors and 180 House cosponsors. NBCC recently
launced a Less Pink, More Research Campaign to continue building support for this important priority. You can help us by
participating in this outreach campaign and helping "Spread the Word" by forwarding
the email on to others in your address book. The website is www.lesspinkmoreresearch.org.
Illinois Members of Congress Who Have NOT Co-Sponsored H.R. 2231 / S. 757
~ Sen. Dick Durbin (D)
~ Sen. Barack Obama (D)
~ Rep. Henry Hyde (R-06)
~ Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-14)
~ Rep. Timothy Johnson (R-15)
~ Rep. Lane Evans (D-17)*
~ Rep. John Shimkus (R-19)
*Co-sponsored this legislation in the last congress.
If you know someone who lives in the 17th Congressional District of Illinois
(Moline, Quincy, Macomb) ask them to join the Advocacy Network - we need help
getting Rep. Evans to sign on to this bill!
Breast Cancer Research Program Funding Still Pending
Priority #2: $150 million dollar appropriation for the Department of Defense (DoD) peer-reviewed
Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) for fiscal year (FY) 2006
House members will return to session on December 6th and the Senate on December 12th. The Department of Defense Appropriations has not yet been passed. It is
still not known if the Department of Defense (DoD) Peer-reviewed Breast Cancer
Research Program (BCRP) will be funded $150 million for FY2006 as advised by the
Senate, $115 million as advised by the House or somewhere in between.
It is hoped that Congress will look at this issue before its targeted session
end date of December 17th - keep an eye out for alerts on this important priority.
Smoke-Free Chicago Will Come to a Vote on 12/7/05
At the Nov. 30th City Council meeting, Aldermen Natarus and Doherty used a parliamentary
maneuver called "defer and publish" to postpone the vote on Alderman Smith's 100%
Comprehensive Clean Indoor Air Ordinance.
The vote is now scheduled to take place on Wednesday, December 7, 2005. According to City Council rules, there can not be any further delays on Alderman
Smith's ordinance.
NATARUS ORDINANCE UPDATE
On Tuesday at the joint Finance and Licensing Committee hearing, no vote was
taken on the Natarus Ordinance. The ordinance which would exempt stand alone and
attached bars from the Clean Indoor Air Ordinance was deferred by Alderman Natarus
when it became apparent he did not have the votes in the meeting to pass it to
the full City Council.
MAYOR DALEY COMMENTS
Wednesday after Alderman Smith's 100% comprehensive ordinance was deferred, Mayor
Daley indicated at his press conference that he is leaning in favor of the Natarus
Ordinance because it exempts bars. The Mayor also said that he is leaving the
decision on a smoke-free ordinance to the Aldermen. If the Mayor is indeed favoring
the Natarus Ordinance, it could prove to be a hurdle for the 100% comprehensive
ordinance to win the support of a majority of Aldermen needed to become law.
Medicare Faces Financial 'Crisis' Without Intervention, Fiscal Experts Say
USA Today on Monday examined how many budget experts from across the political
spectrum say that inaction on Medicare's fiscal problems and other issues could
cause the "worst fiscal crisis since at least 1983." The nation's "biggest" fiscal
problem "by far" is that baby boomers in 2011 will begin enrolling in Medicare,
USA Today reports. If spending on Medicare grows 1% faster than the economy each year
-- a "conservative" estimate -- the program in 2050 will cost as much as the entire
current U.S. budget, according to USA Today. U.S. Comptroller General David Walker said Medicare and Social Security benefits
for baby boomers over the coming decades will overwhelm the federal budget. Walker
added that the new Medicare prescription drug benefit worsens the situation.
Read more.
The Patient Navigator Bill was signed into law earlier this year. On November 7th, NCI (National Cancer Institutes) awarded $25 million to eight research institutions
to develop a navigator process for minority and underserved cancer patients.
Navigators help patients and their families manage cancer diagnoses and overcome
barriers to obtaining timely and appropriate cancer care and treatment.
Breast Cancer and the Internet Study - You Can Participate
Researchers at Purdue University are now conducting a study to learn more about
how individuals use the Internet for activities related to breast cancer. The goal of the study is to help establish a better understanding of how the
Internet may best be used by breast cancer advocates.
To take part, participants must be at least 18 years of age and must complete
an online survey that takes approximately 15-20 minutes. Although there may be
no direct benefit to you, the information you provide may help to improve breast
cancer advocacy efforts. This study is completely voluntary and anonymous. It
has been approved by Purdue University’s IRB Department (Approval code #0509002980).
If you have any questions concerning this research study or difficulties completing
the electronic survey, please contact Yumary Ruiz at 765-496-6024 or yruiz@purdue.edu.
~ The latest Census data revealed that the number of women and girls without
health insurance rose to 21.3 million, an increase of 2.3 Million since 2000.
~ Medical debt is affecting U.S. consumers' ability to own a home or have a stable
housing situation, according to a new report from the Access Project. For the
report, researchers surveyed 1,700 individuals and families at taxpayer assistance
centers in seven cities, finding that 46% of respondents had medical debt. One-quarter
of respondents with medical debt also reported problems with housing, such as
inability to qualify for a mortgage or keep up with rent or monthly mortgage payments.
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