“CPRIT is a wonderful organization.
Through funding from the institute, Moncrief was able to step in and provide me with phenomenal care. Every physi- cian that I’ve had has been unbelievably attentive, conscientious, patient, and in- strumental in making this transition in my life smooth. I’m blessed and fortu- nate that all of this was taken care of so abundantly for me,” she said.
Prevention works Prevention funds have led to some excit- ing results and an increase in programs and services available in Texas, accord- ing to CPRIT Chief Prevention Officer Becky Garcia, PhD. At press time, the in- stitute had covered 85 percent of Texas counties with at least one CPRIT project. Also, at press time, CPRIT reported 43,000 health care professionals and res- idents had received education, outreach, and navigation services. While CPRIT funds don’t cover cancer treatment for diagnosed individuals, the institute will pay for navigation services, also known as case management. Dr. Garcia explains that CPRIT largely
funds programs with resources and the ability to help cancer patients navigate the health system and find treatment. She says finding cancer treatment for the uninsured and underinsured isn’t easy. CPRIT-funded navigation services help patients determine whether they qualify for Medicare, Medicaid, or the Texas Breast and Cervical Cancer Program. Thanks to CPRIT prevention funds,
12,000 Texans have been screened for cancer or have received some other clini- cal service, such as human papillomavi- rus vaccination. “What CPRIT is really excited about is that of those 12,000, almost 40 per- cent are people who have never been screened before. Prevention funds fo- cus on those who are underserved and haven’t come into the system before. We have reports of 81 cancers that have been diagnosed. For this first reporting period, we’re really excited to see these kinds of results,” Dr. Garcia said. For a list of currently funded grants, visit
www.cprit.state.tx.us/funded- grants. Dr. Argenbright says accountability to
ensure proper use of prevention funds and to measure the results of the proj- ects is a priority for CPRIT. Grant recipi- ents have to submit quarterly reports to the institute that outline spending line by line. CPRIT also requires an annual report. “We get reimbursed by CPRIT if those
reports are accurately reflective of what we proposed to do in the grant. CPRIT doesn’t issue grants in full up front. The institute doesn’t release funds until the end of the quarter, based on the accurate completion of the report,” he said.
Additionally, grantees collect data that can lead to scientific publication, allowing others in Texas and around the nation to learn from the projects’ best practices and outcomes. Dr. Argenbright is grateful for CPRIT’s
work. “I can say with 100-percent certainty
that these CPRIT funds are making an impact on the health of Texans, especial- ly those in the historically underserved communities where there might be high minority populations. I have the privi- lege of working every day with a team
Funding for CPRIT
The Texas Constitution authorizes the Cancer Prevention and Re- search Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to issue up to 10 percent of fund- ing, or a maximum of $30 million, annually to pay for cancer preven- tion and control programs. The remaining 90 percent goes toward research and commercialization projects. According to CPRIT Chief Prevention Officer Becky Garcia, PhD, the legislature allocated $22.5 million per year for prevention for fiscal years 2010–11. Instead of fully funding CPRIT with $600 million for the biennium, the legislature approved $450 million. For the 2012–13 biennium, the legislature awarded CPRIT full funding of $600 million. At press time, CPRIT awaited approval of some portions of Senate Bill 1 related to the institute’s bond author- ity to ensure appropriation of the full funding amount. Dr. Garcia says one of the advantages CPRIT has is its funding mechanism — the sale of general obligation bonds. “CPRIT doesn’t have much of an impact on the state’s general
revenue, aside from the cost of the debt service,” she said. “The institute proposed to the Legislative Budget Board that CPRIT be issued bonds as needed to pay project costs, rather than issuing them all up front. This would allow CPRIT to manage the bond process better and save the state some money,” Dr. Garcia said.
House Bill 2251 by Rep. Dennis Bonnen (R-Brazoria) passed and had been sent to the governor. The bill contained a sunset provision to allow CPRIT to issue bonds as needed to pay for project costs. Debt service for fiscal years 2010–11 was $35.5 million. Issuing bonds on a pay-as-you-go basis reduces CPRIT’s debt service cost to ap- proximately $9 million.
July 2011 TEXAS MEDICINE 33
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