Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) announced that Maine Department of Health and Human Services has been awarded $2,036,480 for the Maine Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Cancer Prevention and Control Programs.

“The earlier cancer is caught, the better the prognosis.  That’s why funding for cancer prevention programs and increased access to cancer screenings are so important,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement.  “We welcome this funding for Maine’s cancer prevention and control programs, which are helping to better the health of Mainers throughout the state.” 

The leading cause of death in Maine is cancer, and Maine has substantially and significantly higher cancer death rates than the rest of the U.S. The common goals of the Maine CDC Cancer Prevention and Control Programs help to reduce cancer mortality and increase cancer screening rates. 

Through coordinated and integrated strategies, the Maine CDC Cancer Prevention and Control Programs address the state's cancer burden by: 1) conducting cancer surveillance, 2) increasing access to cancer screening, 3) improving health outcomes for people living with cancer, and 4) providing the evidence for and evaluation of policy and environmental approaches.