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All News'James Hope Award' Honors Sen. Sherrod Brown
COLUMBUS, Ohio – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and sponsor of the Access to Cancer Clinical Trials Act of 2009 (S. 488), has received the James Hope Award presented by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James).
The award is named in honor of The James Cancer Hospital’s inspiring Statue of Hope, which was created by sculptor Alfred Tibor and dedicated on the hospital’s front lawn in 1993. The James Hope Award was created in 2009 to recognize the community’s commitment to support exceptional cancer care, education and research. Criteria for the award include advocacy, collaboration, innovation and leadership.
Brown was chosen based on his leadership in helping patients gain access to life-saving clinical trials through his sponsorship of the Access to Cancer Clinical Trials Act and the drug pricing legislation that will have a positive impact on patients treated at The James. In addition, Senator Brown championed language that removes lifetime caps on insurance coverage and prohibits insurers from excluding children with pre-existing conditions from being covered by their family policies.
“I am honored to receive the James Hope Award, and I will continue to do all that I can to help the researchers, physicians, nurses and staff at The James to create a cancer-free world,” said Brown, who earlier this year received the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Association of American Cancer Institutes. “The partnership we have forged continues to benefit patients who now have access to participate in cancer clinical trials they had once been denied.”
Brown’s political career started in 1974 when he was elected as one of the youngest state representatives in Ohio history. Since then he has served as Ohio’s Secretary of State, a U.S. Congressman, and now, U.S. Senator.
In May, 2008, Brown came to OSUCCC-James to unveil new cancer clinical trials legislation – the Access to Cancer Clinical Trials Act. The bill quickly gained endorsements from cancer advocates, medical organizations and disease-specific groups that had been working for two decades to expand access to cancer clinical trials.
In March, 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Section 2709 of the legislation – Brown’s provisions – requires health insurance plans, including those offered through the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program, to cover routine costs associated with participation in clinical trials.
“His leadership in changing federal policy has guaranteed that all cancer patients will be able to participate in life-saving clinical trials, including the cutting-edge and novel therapies available only through clinical trials,” said Dr. Michael Caligiuri, director of Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and CEO of The James. “We also credit him with the inclusion of 340b, drug purchasing prices for outpatient services, in the historic Health Care Reform which will provide more than $6 million per year in fiscal relief to the OSUCCC – James and our patients.”
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (cancer.osu.edu) is one of only 40 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States designated by the National Cancer Institute. Ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top cancer hospitals in the nation, The James is the 180-bed adult patient-care component of the cancer program at The Ohio State University. The OSUCCC-James is one of only seven funded programs in the country approved by the NCI to conduct both Phase I and Phase II clinical trials.
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Eileen Scahill
Medical Center Public Affairs and Media Relations
(614) 293-3737
Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu