Policy Subcommittee

Mission: Identify policy, system and statutory approaches to controlling cancer.

The Policy Subcommittee brings together policy subject matter experts with the mission that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action. The subcommittee provides policy guidance, technical assistance and support to the Pennsylvania Cancer Coalition (PCC) to implement the Pennsylvania Cancer Plan. The subcommittee serves as a liaison between the PCC and the Pennsylvania Cancer Caucus within the state legislature and provides education to caucus members on Pennsylvania cancer priorities.

Policy Subcommittee Objectives:

  • Ensure that the voices of cancer patients and their loved ones play a central role in federal and state legislative, regulatory, and executive policy making.
  • Establish social, economic and health policies that improve equity in cancer screenings and health justice.
  • Implement policies to support the delivery of high-impact clinical preventive services and enhance linkages to community prevention services and programs.
  • Support policies that make it easy for Pennsylvanians to make healthy choices.
  • Pursue policies and system changes that reduce out-of-pocket costs to the consumer of clinical preventive services, including cancer screening and treatment.
  • Improve policies, programmatic and system changes that promote health equity and incorporate culturally and linguistically appropriate and acceptable practices for populations being served.
  • Increase capacity to use policies, systems, and environmental changes when addressing health issues.
  • Assist businesses to adopt policies to improve the health of their employees; offer employee benefits that encourage wellness, such providing time off for recommended cancer screening and cancer treatment; and work accommodations to support cancer survivors and health insurance benefits to support screening and workplace policies to support access to services.
  • Support policies that reduce Pennsylvanians’ exposure to environmental carcinogens.
  • Support policy makers on initiatives that reinforce healthy lifestyles for your constituents, set and prioritize specific health outcomes, and establish ways to measure them.
  • Support environmental policies to address new health threats, disparities in health status and access to care and implementation of health system reform.
  • Implement evidence-based policies that meet the needs of the population across the lifespan.

  • October 2023 Policy Action Plan
  • June 2021 Policy Action Report

Meeting Notes


Policy Subcommittee Goals:

  • Establish the coalition and member organizations as a resource to state legislators.
  • Collect and disseminate policy briefs and issue papers about pending and existing legislation that may impact cancer plan goals.
  • Provide consultation to coalition membership.

Other important advocacy topics include:

  • Access to Care—advocating for policies that ensure access to care, address the rising costs of care, and reduce disparities.
  • Clinical Trials—advocating for research systems that include promising and evidence-based practices and increasing participation in clinical trials.
  • Quality Care—advocating on behalf of patients so that they can get the best care possible.

Check back often for updated information. If you have policy-related questions, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with “Policy Question” in the subject line.

For questions or inquiries, contact
Ruth Modzelewski at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Donna Greco at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Rebekah Glick at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.