New cancer caucus aims to provide more cancer resources in Hamilton County

Between 2016 and 2023, the Ohio Department of Health states more than 1,600 people died from cancer each year. County commissioners, local doctors and other officials are now coming together to create a cancer caucus to provide free cancer screenings, ask for federal funding and search for a vaccine.

Hamilton County, Ohio, Commissioner Alicia Reece held the first-ever State of Cancer forum followed by a health expo Oct. 15. The forum featured panelists of doctors and cancer survivors sharing concerns about local and state data surrounding cancer, including the University of Cincinnati's Melinda Butsch Kovacic, PhD, and Elizabeth Shaughnessy, MD.

"My concerns are that there are some communities that do not have access to screenings," Butsch Kovacic, associate director for community outreach & engagement at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center and professor and associate dean of research in the Department of Environmental & Public Health Sciences at UC's College of Medicine, told WCPO.

Reese said there are plans to continue the community partnership and engagement organized by the forum and expo.

“This is just the beginning,” Reese said. “With this caucus, we want to be aggressive with getting more federal funding for research and resources.”

Watch or read the WCPO story.

Featured image at top: 513Relief Bus parked at UC's 1819 Innovation Hub during a different event in July 2024. Photo/Stephen Kenney