R.I. awarded $2.2M for cancer care, screenings

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island will receive $2.19 million in federal U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds to help improve early detection and treatment of cancer, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed announced Thursday.

The CDC funds may be used to provide free cancer screenings to uninsured and underinsured Rhode Islanders as well as to help improve the quality of cancer treatments and survivorship care.

The $2.19 million will be used to support several different Rhode Island cancer programs, including the R.I. Department of Health’s Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, the Women’s Cancer Screening Program, the Screening Colonoscopies for Underserved Persons and the Rhode Island Cancer Registry.

“Early detection and treatment are critical in our fight against cancer. Cancer deaths can be reduced through screening and early diagnosis,” said Reed in prepared remarks. “This federal funding will help save lives and ensure that more Rhode Islanders can get the help and treatment they need.”

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Not including basal and squamous cell skin cancers, Rhode Island had an estimated 6,090 new cancer cases in 2011, according to the American Cancer Society.

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