National Action Plan on Breast Cancer

The National Action Plan on Breast Cancer (NAPBC) was initiated in 1993 in response to a call for action from private advocacy groups. The National Breast Cancer Coalition presented a 2.6 million-signature petition to past-President Bill Clinton asking for a coordinated national strategy to combat breast cancer.

At the President's direction, former DHHS Secretary Donna Shalala convened the Secretary's Conference to Establish a National Action Plan on Breast Cancer, that brought together more than 300 individuals to craft a series of recommendations for action in education, research, public policy and service delivery through public/private partnerships.

The NAPBC was the working product of that conference. Its mission is to stimulate rapid progress in eradicating breast cancer by advancing knowledge, research, policy, and service. The Plan served as a catalyst for national efforts, coordinating activities of government and non-government organizations, agencies and individuals. By encouraging new ideas and mobilizing partnerships, the Plan worked diligently to "jump-start" innovative, long-term efforts that would, in turn, result in rapid progress in the fight against breast cancer. The NAPBC website provided a gateway to selected public and private breast cancer websites.

The work of the NAPBC was guided by a Steering Committee and six Working Groups. The Steering Committee met quarterly, and Plan implementation was coordinated by the Office on Women's Health. NAPBC Working Groups were formed around priorities identified by the Steering Committee at the Plan's inception and included:

• Biological Resources,
• Clinical Trials Accessibility,
• Etiology,
• Hereditary Susceptibility,
• Information Action Council, and
• Consumer Involvement.

In February 2000, the Steering Committee convened A Day of Dialogue forum to assess the accomplishments in the eradication of breast cancer since the Plan's inception and determine a future role of the Plan. The Steering Committee thereupon voted to sunset the Plan, forwarding a report of its accomplishments to the past-President Clinton and former DHHS Secretary Shalala. This report was sent forth October 20, 2000.

The NAPBC was co-chaired by Wanda K. Jones, Dr.P.H., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Director of the DHHS OWH, and Frances M. Visco, Esq., President, National Breast Cancer Coalition.

For more information about NAPBC, please contact Anna Kinderman.