Cancer is the

second leading cause of death in Georgia, accounting for one in four deaths

each year - chances are someone you know, or even you personally, have

been touched by this dreaded disease.

And while Georgia

is the 10th largest state in the nation, we are only 27th in the amount

of funding we currently get from the federal government.

The statistics

are grim. But they are the reality we face.

I'm here today

to tell you that we are going to do something about it. Starting now,

Georgia is going to join those leading the fight to save lives from cancer.

Starting today, we are going to do all we can to give hope to those who

already have cancer and help keep others from getting it.

This spring,

I shared my vision for Georgia's role in cancer treatment and prevention

with the leaders of our medical and research universities as well as leading

activists who have long been part of the fight.

We talked about

the resources that each group had individually and what an unstoppable

machine we could be if we put all those resources together.

And I am proud

to announce today that from these discussions has come the Georgia Cancer

Coalition.

This Coalition

will bring together Georgia's leading hospitals and universities, biotech

firms, civic groups and non-profit and government agencies to help treat,

prevent and save lives from cancer.

It will be

a public/private partnership that will work to build a world-class, comprehensive

cancer control program that will benefit our state and eventually, the

nation.

The Georgia

Cancer Coalition is being set up with five goals:

To prevent

cancer and detect existing cancers earlier through education and screening.

To improve

access to quality care for all Georgians by establishing a state-wide

treatment network.

To train top-notch

cancer researchers and caregivers.

To help the

state economically by bringing pharmaceutical and research jobs to Georgia

and by keeping patients here.

And, most importantly,

to save more lives in the future by bringing the best doctors, treatment

methods and technology to our state.

These are lofty

goals. And it is going to take a lot of hard work and effort to reach

them.

No one ever

thought this was going to be easy. The most important things we do rarely

are.

And I cannot

emphasize enough that this is not an effort that the state will - or should

- take on alone. The price is too costly and the scope is too vast for

any one entity to manage.

But, as Governor,

I am going to do all I can to help guarantee the success of the Georgia

Cancer Coalition.

To start, I

am going to ask the legislature to help fund this effort.

To be done

right, this initiative will cost approximately $800 million over the next

five to seven years. I am recommending that the state contribute $300

to $400 million in primarily tobacco settlement money over this same period

of time.

I will continue

to recommend additional funds each year I am Governor. I have said all

along that I wanted two-thirds of the tobacco settlement to be spent on

health care, and I cannot think of a better commitment than this.

But the state

will not be able to fund this alone - we have other obligations we have

to meet. If we are going to make this happen, we will have to have the

financial support of foundations, pharmaceutical and biotechnological

firms and corporations throughout Georgia.

We have begun

to talk to a number of potential contributors and I expect to be able

to announce the first significant funding sources within the next weeks.

If we are successful

in our fundraising efforts for the Coalition, we should be able to leverage

our success to receive a bigger piece of federal funds designated for

cancer treatment and research in the future.

Let me tell

you what this money will pay for.

We plan to

bring 150 eminent clinicians and scientists to Georgia to work at our

medical centers coordinating research and developing new treatment methods

and technologies.

We are going

to establish an extensive treatment network - anchored by three cancer

centers of excellence. We plan to do all that is necessary for the centers

of excellence to earn the highest designation from the National Cancer

Institute - the same designation held by M. D. Anderson and Johns Hopkins.

And this network

will be expanded through treatment centers in hospitals and coordination

with private physicians throughout the state so that every cancer patient

in Georgia - no matter where they live or what their resources, will have

access to cutting edge treatment and technology.

As you can

see from this map, the problem of cancer is throughout the state - not

just in the rural areas, or just the metropolitan ones.

So, the first

priority of the coalition will be on treatment and screening across Georgia,

starting with the areas of highest incidence. No one should have to go

far from home to get treatment that will help them detect or fight this

dreaded disease. And we will do more public education and awareness to

help reduce the chances of getting cancer in the first place.

We are fortunate

in that we already have a lot of the resources we need to get this started.

We just needed to put them together. For once we get everyone working

together, we can begin to move forward.

The slogan

we have chosen for the Georgia Cancer Coalition is "mobilizing Georgia,

immobilizing cancer."

Everyone knows

that troops don't move without a leader. This Coalition will be the leader

who takes out troops to battle and doesn't give up until we win - and

in the end we will win.

I hope you'll

join the fight.

FACT SHEET

Governor Roy

E. Barnes has announced an initiative to improve cancer prevention, screening,

treatment, training and clinical research in the state. The Georgia Cancer

Alliance, a public/private partnership, will coordinate development of

a world-class, comprehensive cancer control program for the benefit of

all Georgians.

CANCER IN GEORGIA

? Cancer is

the second leading cause of death in Georgia, causing almost a quarter

of all deaths in the state.

? This year,

a projected 13,700 Georgians will die of cancer and almost 33,000 will

develop the disease.

? Cancers of

the lung, breast, prostate, and colorectum account for more than half

of Georgia's cancer deaths.

? Under current

trends, one in two men and one in three women in Georgia will develop

cancer sometime during their lifetime.

? Only about

half of Georgia women 40 and older are screened for breast cancer and

about half the adults in the state are screened for colorectal cancer.

Early detection can affect survival rates for these cancers.

? Areas with

high cancer death rates include Rome, Augusta, Fulton County and many

counties in rural south and east Georgia.

THE GEORGIA

CANCER ALLIANCE

The Georgia

Cancer Alliance will build a coordinated statewide network of cancer care.

Public and private hospitals, private physicians and other health care

providers will deliver most of the screening and treatment. The initiative

calls for non-profit organizations, civic groups and private businesses

to participate in prevention programs. Clinical research will include

public and private academic institutions.

Public agencies

such as the Department of Community Health, which insures almost two million

Georgians through Medicaid, the State Health Benefit Plan and PeachCare

for Kids, and the Department of Human Resources, which directs the state's

cancer control program and supports health departments in every Georgia

county, will be involved in prevention and screening.

WHAT THE INITIATIVE

AIMS TO ACHIEVE

* Prevent cancer

and detect existing cancers earlier. The initiative will work to reduce

the number of cancer deaths through a focused education and screening

effort, with particular emphasis on the cancers that are the major causes

of death. Development of a statewide network of public and private providers

will give Georgians greater access to screenings.

* Improve access

to quality care for all Georgians with cancer. A network of hospitals

will ensure that basic cancer care is available close to home anywhere

in the state. More advanced treatment will be available at several medical

centers throughout the state and at three cancer centers of excellence,

enabling Georgians to get world-class medical care and participate in

clinical trials without leaving the state. All Georgia cancer providers

will be part of the initiative.

Georgia will

undergo an extensive process to earn designation from the National Cancer

Institute (NCI) for a comprehensive cancer center, the highest designation

offered.

* Save more

lives in the future. The initiative will recruit 150 eminent scientists

and clinicians to Georgia universities and medical centers and coordinate

clinical research efforts.

New detection

and treatment methods and technology will contribute to the ultimate eradication

of cancer.

The initiative

will support a bioinformatics program, using biology, mathematics and

computers to predict predisposition for specific cancers. The program

will be one of the few in the nation specializing in cancer.

* Train future

cancer researchers and caregivers. The initiative will develop curriculum

standards for training of future clinicians and continuing education for

practicing clinicians.

* Realize economic

benefits from eradicating cancer. Building partnerships with pharmaceutical

and biotechnology companies will provide quality jobs to Georgians and

environmentally clean additions to the economy. Private funding will help

support research and launch new developments with commercial potential.

FUNDING

The initiative

is expected to cost $300-$400 million over a five to seven year period.

It will be supported through tobacco settlement funds, state funds and

federal funds. It is anticipated that this will be leveraged as much as

60% with investments from foundations, private pharmaceutical and biotechnological

firms, and venture capital firms.

OPERATION

Initially,

the Georgia Cancer Alliance will operate under the guidance of the Georgia

Research Alliance and its board of directors, which includes many private

industry CEOs. During its first year, the Alliance will establish advisory

committees and its own governance structure.

For more information

contact: Joselyn Butler, 404-651-7774 (media only), or Carol Bennett,

404-651-7757.