On February 23, 2017, Executive Director of Maine Cancer Foundation, Tara Hill, headed to the Maine State House in Augusta to testify on behalf of MCF against Governor Paul LePage's proposed budget cuts to the Fund for a Healthy Maine. Read more to view her testimony in it's entirety.
My name is Tara Hill. I live in Cumberland and I am the Executive Director of Maine Cancer Foundation. I am speaking today in opposition to the drastic funding cuts to chronic disease prevention, including tobacco and obesity, in the Fund for a Healthy Maine as proposed in the Governor’s budget.
Maine Cancer Foundation is deeply committed to reducing the smoking rates in our state. Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate of any cancer in Maine, and our lung cancer rates are consistently higher than the US average. We know that one in four Mainers use tobacco, and half of all Maine residents are former or current cigarette smokers. We also know that there are proven public health strategies for reducing tobacco use. In the past, the Fund for a Healthy Maine helped reduce Maine’s youth smoking rate from one of the highest in the nation to one of the lowest. We did this by committing to best practice and comprehensive approaches to preventing tobacco addiction. Unfortunately, our tobacco reduction efforts have stalled due to repeated cuts in funding and a move away from science-based prevention efforts. The Governor’s current budget proposal to largely eliminate prevention efforts could be the final blow to what was once an outstanding success story.
We already know what we need to do to reduce tobacco use in Maine – commit to community public health, media education, tobacco price increases, and the use of quit lines. We oppose the Governor’s proposed budget cuts because they will undermine our efforts to reduce tobacco use and lung cancer in our State.
Over the past year at Maine Cancer Foundation, we have embedded ourselves in Maine communities, listening to Mainers’ concerns about cancer in Maine. On this listening tour, we have heard many important themes repeated throughout, but those that resonate most with the Governor’s proposed budget cuts are: a deep concern from Maine citizens about the decreased funding for public health; the lack of prevention education and messaging for youth, especially around tobacco, physical activity, and nutrition; the lack of knowledge and awareness about prevention, early detection, and treatment services available; and the lack of access to primary care providers. I urge you to consider these concerns as you evaluate the effects of the Governor’s proposed cuts.
On behalf of Maine Cancer Foundation and Maine citizens affected by cancer, I urge you to reject the proposal to further dismantle Maine’s public health system and defund efforts that help communities protect their youth from tobacco use. A robust Fund focused on preventing and promoting good health is our best opportunity to support healthy families, lower costs for businesses, and help young people stay in Maine.
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