EDMONTON – Today marks the official launch of Alberta Health Services’ new campaign for the Tomorrow Project – a 50-year cancer prevention research study of 50,000 Albertans.
The launch of the new campaign called Count Me In 4 Tomorrow will help the Tomorrow Project reach its goal of enrolling 50,000 participants into the Alberta study before March 2012.
“Cancer affects us all in one way or another,” said Honourable Gene Zwozdesky, Minister of Health and Wellness. “Over the coming years, the Tomorrow Project will provide researchers with information to better understand the causes of cancer and other chronic diseases and ways to prevent them. This will be a great legacy project for future generations in Alberta.”
Dr. Stephen Duckett, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alberta Health Services, and Ken Hughes, Board Chair of Alberta Health Services, formally launched the campaign, encouraging the more than 95,000 Alberta Health Services employees as well as members of the public to sign up for the study.
“It is a privilege for Alberta Health Services to be a part of such a significant project,” said Dr. Duckett. “When we understand what causes a disease, we are better prepared to prevent it from occurring. I want to thank everyone involved in the study thus far and encourage all Albertans to participate in the Tomorrow Project.”
The Tomorrow Project began in Alberta in 2000. The project has since expanded to include British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada to form The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project. The study will help researchers, policy-makers and health care professionals understand how genetics, environment, lifestyle and behaviour contribute to cancer and other chronic diseases, and how to help prevent them in the future.
“We have made significant progress in the treatments of many cancers over the years,” said Dr. Christine Friedenreich, acting principal investigator for the Tomorrow Project (Alberta). “However, there is still much to be learned about what causes cancer and other predictive measures that could lead to new strategies for prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other chronic diseases.” Alberta Launches Campaign for 50-Year Cancer Prevention Study News Release September 10, 2010
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than 3.7 million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
Partners for the Tomorrow Project include Alberta Innovates-Health Solutions, Alberta Cancer Foundation, Alberta Health Services and at the national level, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. The Tomorrow Project could not occur without the generous support of our partners.
We will provide participant spokespeople to speak about the Tomorrow Project upon request.
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About The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project
The largest study of its kind in Canada to date, the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project will explore how genetics, environment, lifestyle and behaviour interact and contribute to the development of cancer and other life-threatening and chronic diseases. The goal of the national study is to recruit and follow up to 300,000 Canadian adults between the ages of 35 and 69 in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada over 20 to 30 years. The study funding includes $42 million from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, a national organization created by the federal government to implement Canada’s cancer control strategy.
For more information visit www.in4tomorrow.ca
For further information or media enquiries:
Jacquelynn Benson
403-266-4710 ext: 227
Jacque.benson@fleishman.ca