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State Budget Deal Affects Regional Cancer Institute

State Budget Deal Affects Regional Cancer Institute - Friday, October 9, 2009 at 5:52PM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Friday, Oct 9, 2009 @ 05:52pm EDT
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY - The state budget impasse appears to be nearing an end once again. The state senate voted 42-7 in favor of the plan Friday afternoon. It is now headed to the governor's desk for a signature. The governor says he will support the plan.

When going line-item by line-item, the budget has a big impact in parts of Pennsylvania. One of the biggest cuts comes to the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, which helps people in ten counties.

Bob Durkin has been crunching the numbers and the results don't look good.

"Overall, for the most part, cancer control funding has been cut by 50 percent," Durkin said.

Durkin is the president of the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute. His agency is bracing to receive between $600,000 and $900,000 less from the state when compared to last year.

"You get used to the basic process of funding that comes and goes but nothing this draconian has ever happened before," Durkin said.

Durkin says many educational programs, like the summer sun safety program, could be at risk. That program helps kids learn the dangers of skin cancer.

"With limited dollars, frankly, we're gonna make sure we focus those numbers on areas that are indeed of greatest concern to our people," Durkin said.

Curt Stevens is a 20-year cancer survivor. He can't believe the state's priorities.

"They're responsibility is to take care of the welfare of its people. I know there are priorities but that seems to be a higher priority to me than some of the other issues they're involved in," Stevens said.

Stevens says he hopes cancer survivor celebrations will continue. He says they give him hope by seeing other survivors.

"It's encouraging to see these people come back and you see three years and five years and ten years," Stevens said.
 


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