Deep cuts to federal health agencies have real consequences for cancer patients: report

The Department of Government Efficiency's major funding and job cuts to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is having a catastrophic effect on patients across the country who rely on federal programs to treat devastating diseases like cancer, according to a new report. Yuki Noguchi with NPR wrote that In rural areas like Iowa, with particularly high cancer rates, patients rely on remote technology to connect them to specialists they might not otherwise be able to access. "Doctors, hospitals and policymakers have been trying to fight on multiple fronts, from attracting much-needed health care talent, to trying to increase screening, especially across the state's vast rural areas, where patients tend to get diagnosed later with late-stage cancers," Noguchi wrote. For instance, the Iowa Cancer Affiliate Network, which connects local health facilities to medical specialists, "is funded by federal grants that face immediate, drastic cuts," Noguchi wrote. "It's not just the funding, it's the talent they're bleeding, because you can't get anything done without the talent," said Mark Burkhard, director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa.