Coalition Activities
Senator Karcher Supports Access to HPV Vaccine
The Monmouth Cancer Coalition welcomes Senator Ellen Karcher to the December 7th Quarterly Meeting.
With cancer prevention as one of its primary goals, the Monmouth County Cancer Coalition is interested in the role a new vaccine will have in preventing genital HPV infection. High-risk types of the infection, caused by the human papilloma virus, can lead to cervical cancer. The vaccine was recently approved for marketing by the federal Food and Drug Administration.
N. J. Sen. Ellen Karcher (Dist. 12, Mercer and Monmouth) recently briefed members of the cancer coalition on three legislative bills that take different approaches to making the vaccine available to
New Jersey girls and women. The bills are headed to the N.J. Senate Health Committee for consideration.
Bill S-2284, introduced by Karcher, would require that insurers and State health care coverage programs, including the Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare programs, cover the cost of the vaccine for females aged 9 to 26. Sen. Loretta Weinberg (Dist. 37,
Bergen ) is also a sponsor of the bill. Additionally, Weinberg introduced S-2286, also sponsored by Karcher that requires distributing information about HPV to parents and guardians of students in the
7th to 12th grades. S-2286 also requires vaccination for girls in grades
seven to 12 . A third bill, S-544, sponsored by Sen. Barbara Buono (Dist. 18, Middlesex) and Weinberg, would require health insurers to provide coverage for cervical cancer screening, including testing for HPV.
"We may eventually see a bill that pulls many of the components of these bills together," Karcher said.
About 10 of the 30 types of the viruses can lead to development of life-threatening cervical cancer. Most women are diagnosed with HPV on the basis of abnormal Pap tests, which can detect pre-cancerous and cancerous cells on the cervix. Regular testing and medical follow-up can help to prevent changes from developing into cancer.
The cancer coalition is an initiative funded by the N. J. Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Cancer Control and Prevention, for the purpose of implementing the statewide cancer control plan at the county level.
"We thank Sen. Karcher for her support of our work and welcome the information she has provided on HPV vaccine legislation," said coalition chair Theresa Beck, who is vice president for community initiatives at Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey. Beck noted that the coalition's charter does not extend to taking a position on specific legislation.
"I have discovered tremendous interest among women in this vaccine," Karcher said. "It's an issue about which women are very concerned."
Photo: Theresa Beck, right, chair of the Monmouth County Cancer Coalition, with N. J. Sen. Ellen Karcher, who briefed coalition members on legislation regarding a vaccine to prevent HPV infection that can lead to cervical cancer.
With cancer prevention as one of its primary goals, the Monmouth County Cancer Coalition is interested in the role a new vaccine will have in preventing genital HPV infection. High-risk types of the infection, caused by the human papilloma virus, can lead to cervical cancer. The vaccine was recently approved for marketing by the federal Food and Drug Administration.
N. J. Sen. Ellen Karcher (Dist. 12, Mercer and Monmouth) recently briefed members of the cancer coalition on three legislative bills that take different approaches to making the vaccine available to
Bill S-2284, introduced by Karcher, would require that insurers and State health care coverage programs, including the Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare programs, cover the cost of the vaccine for females aged 9 to 26. Sen. Loretta Weinberg (Dist. 37,
"We may eventually see a bill that pulls many of the components of these bills together," Karcher said.
About 10 of the 30 types of the viruses can lead to development of life-threatening cervical cancer. Most women are diagnosed with HPV on the basis of abnormal Pap tests, which can detect pre-cancerous and cancerous cells on the cervix. Regular testing and medical follow-up can help to prevent changes from developing into cancer.
The cancer coalition is an initiative funded by the N. J. Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Cancer Control and Prevention, for the purpose of implementing the statewide cancer control plan at the county level.
"We thank Sen. Karcher for her support of our work and welcome the information she has provided on HPV vaccine legislation," said coalition chair Theresa Beck, who is vice president for community initiatives at Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey. Beck noted that the coalition's charter does not extend to taking a position on specific legislation.
"I have discovered tremendous interest among women in this vaccine," Karcher said. "It's an issue about which women are very concerned."