TARGET CANCER

As your legislator I will place a strong commitment on public health, as this must always be a central responsibility of government, especially when confronting a disease that has taken so many friends and family members from us far too soon. Cancer is not an abstract issue in our state; it is a crisis. Iowa currently ranks second in the nation for new cancer cases per capita, and alarmingly, it is one of only two states where those rates are still rising. In 2026 alone, approximately 21,700 Iowans will receive a cancer diagnosis and about 6,400 will lose their lives to this disease, with especially troubling trends among young adults and in cancers such as breast, prostate, and melanoma. These are not just numbers, they represent our neighbors, our loved ones, and our communities. We must respond with urgency by strengthening prevention efforts, expanding access to early detection and treatment, and ensuring that public health policy is guided by sound research, including the work of the University of Iowa College of Public Health. By doing so, we can take meaningful steps toward reducing these devastating outcomes and reaffirm our responsibility to protect the health and well-being of every Iowan.