|
Mike Beebe
As Arkansas begins to feel a reprieve from our muggy, summer temperatures and the trees show hints of beautiful gold and red, we know that fall is here. And there's another important event that also serves as an annual reminder of autumn, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I'll be there to cheer on thousands of Arkansans who will gather in downtown Little Rock to raise money for and awareness of the ongoing fight against breast cancer - a disease that, sadly, is all too familiar to many of us.
The Arkansas Race for the Cure has become one of the largest and most successful events of its kind in the nation, with last year's race attracting more than 45,000 participants. While this is a shining example of the support and commitment Arkansans have for finding a cure, it is also a solemn reminder of how far-reaching this disease — and all forms of cancer — have become in our State. Tragically, Arkansas consistently ranks in the top-ten states in the country with the highest cancer mortality rates. And cancer has touched my friends and family, just as I know it has to so many of yours. For this reason, we must reaffirm our commitment to investing in cancer research for new technologies and treatment options. As federal funding has become harder and harder to come by, states are filling the void, acting as laboratories for developing innovative health-care solutions. I am proud to say that Arkansas is a leader in cancer research. You might be surprised to know that Arkansas is home to not one, but two, centers of research in the rapidly advancing field of nanotechnology. This burgeoning field of science may hold the keys to solving some of medicine's greatest challenges, and thanks to a mix of public-and-private funding, University of Arkansas researchers are driving the expansion of this technology into the health-care field. The Nanotechnology Center in Little Rock was established in 2005 with the help of a $5.9 million state grant, and just this past January, we committed $4 million from the state's General Improvement Fund to help launch the Engineering Research Center at the University of Arkansas's Fayetteville campus. Both centers aggressively pursue nanomedicine initiatives, and we are already seeing encouraging results — whether it is in using biomedical nanotechnology to safely detect and kill cancerous cells, or in the incredibly promising research being conducted here in Little Rock on bone-tissue regeneration. And I want to mention something that isn't really "news" around here anymore: the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences continues to be recognized as a national leader in medical education and research. Just last week, I attended UAMS's "topping-out" ceremony for the expansion of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, which sees nearly 115,000 patients a year, and remains one of the premier research and treatment facilities in the region. Investments like these enable us to attract the world-class physicians and researchers who now call Arkansas home. The Arkansas Biosciences Institute, an agricultural and medical-research consortium dedicated to improving the health of Arkansans, brings together physicians and scientists from UAMS and Arkansas Children's Hospital with researchers from both the University of Arkansas system and Arkansas State University. The Institute funds collaborations that bring additional federal and private-research support into the State, thereby attracting more researchers and sparking industry relationships that contribute to our economic development. All of these institutions are vital to Arkansas, and not only for medical innovation and our State's economy. I believe they are even more important for the indelible, human impact they have on those of us who have been confronted with cancer in our lives - they give us hope. Hope that the thousands of physicians, scientists, and researchers working here in Arkansas will continue to discover breakthroughs in treatments and preventive care, one small miracle at a time. Hope that we'll never again receive the frightening news that a loved one has cancer. Hope that we will no longer live in fear that our own lives may one day be shifted, our dreams and ambitions put on hold by a silent killer. The encouraging news is that visionary research in our State is making this hope a reality. The challenge before us is monumental, but not insurmountable. I urge Arkansans from all four corners of this State to join the cause of thousands here in Little Rock for Race for the Cure. Together, we can help make possible a more positive course for millions of families. I hope that you'll do your part to make this dream — this cure — a reality. (Gov. Mike Beebe writes a weekly column) |
