During the dinner hour and throughout the conference, participants were asked to sign petitions for two advocacy initiatives to support breast cancer research and services.

1) The National Breast Cancer Coalition petition called on the United States Congress to invest $2.6 billion in breast cancer research between now and the year 2000;

2) The second petition requested that the Rockland County Cornell Cooperative Extension participate in the program, Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors in New York State (BCERF). BCERF, a project of Cornell University strives to better understand the relationship between breast cancer and other hormonally related cancers to environmental risk factors, such as pesticides and diet, and to make this information available on an ongoing basis to the citizens of New York State. Extension information revealed that Rockland County (along with Nassau County and Richmond County) is among those counties that have the second highest incidence in the state in breast cancer rates.

Environmental risks, as well as the need for more research, were of great concern to members of the committee and the petitions were seen by the planning committee as a valuable way to begin acting on these concerns. A total of 270 signatures were collected and mailed to the Cooperative Extension. This information was also presented to the Rockland County Legislature in its November 1996 budget hearings with respect to its funding for Rockland Cooperative Extension.

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First Created: September 18,1997
Last Updated: September 18,1997