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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 22, 2004

SCHUMER SECURES $350,000 FOR NORTH SHORE- LONG ISLAND JEWISH HEALTH SYSTEM

Funding included in the FY05 Omnibus Appropriations bill

The funding will be used for breast cancer research

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that Congress will pass the FY2005 Omnibus Appropriations bill which included $350,000 for the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System to conduct clinical trials on the relationship between prescription drugs and breast cancer. $100,000 of the funds were included in the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations section of the bill and $250,000 of the funds were included in the Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and Independent Agencies section of the bill. The bill now heads to the President for his signature.

“For millions of women, the fight against breast cancer is the greatest challenge of their lives. The good news is that today there is more research than ever and some of the best and brightest minds right here in Long Island are on the cutting edge of it,” Schumer said. “The North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System has a long history of important cancer research and I know this funding will help to bring new breakthroughs against this disease.”

The funding will be used to conduct clinical trials to compare efficacy and side effects of drugs used to decrease the risk of breast cancer. The funding will also be used to study dietary modification in preventing breast cancer recurrences. Designated as a National Institute of Mental Heath Clinical Research Center and working in partnership with the National Cancer Institute, Long Island Jewish Health System provides clinical trials to the Long Island area, which has the highest rate of breast cancer in the United States. Funding will be used to allow faculty to be part of studies of new drugs, and, once approved, enable them to bring these new drugs to the patient population with the knowledge of their benefits and risks.

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