Kathy Flaherty: Counting on Cannella, Gray to support palliative care laws
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s recent “How Do You Measure Up?” national report ranks California best at enacting policies that fight cancer – especially when it comes to tobacco control. That’s due to voters approving a tobacco tax increase and lawmakers passing historic bills that were signed into law last year. The new tobacco laws will lower some of the smoking-related costs as well as save lives by reducing tobacco use.
However, I’m disappointed that California is behind in passing pain policies and improving access to palliative care, which addresses the physical and emotional needs of those coping with cancer. State lawmakers can improve access to palliative care by passing a bill this session that allows hospice agencies to provide these services to seriously ill patients even if the patients don’t face a terminal diagnosis. I’m counting on Sen. Anthony Cannella and Assemblymember Adam Gray to support this bill as well as other policies to protect cancer patients.
Kathy Flaherty, Atwater
This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Kathy Flaherty: Counting on Cannella, Gray to support palliative care laws."