What Will We Do?
It is necessary for women to have somewhere to go for information and help. This project will give women, especially those uninsured or underinsured, in Connecticut the opportunity to receive information, screenings, and other help related to HPV and cervical cancer. It will provide free or reduced vaccinations and screenings. The project will also educate children and young adults about the virus. A small portion of the project will be based on research done within the state. Hopefully the research done here will be able to help others around the country and the world.
Vaccinations:
$2,500,000.00
We would provide the GardasilTM vaccine to females between the ages of 11 and 26 years old. In the future, this may be raised to older women, depending on the results of current studies. Since this vaccine is relatively expensive ($120.00 per dose; $360 total), we would provide the vaccination at a free or reduced cost. With the help of the Vaccines for Children program through the Centers for Disease Control, we will be able to vaccinate more than 10,000 females who would otherwise not be able to receive the vaccine. ($2.5 million)
Screening:
$1,500,000.00
We would also provide preventative screenings, including Pap smears. These tests cost between twenty-five and sixty dollars per test. We will work with doctors who are willing to provide these tests at a lower cost, around $15.00. This lower cost will hopefully push more women to have these yearly tests done. We would start these yearly tests once the woman had their first sexual contact or at 21 years of age, whichever comes first, and continue until the age of 30. We would continue to provide tests every three years, depending on the situation, until the age of 65. At this reduced cost, we will be able to provide 100,000 tests. ($1.5 million)
Education:
$750,000.00
We would also educate young adults about the virus and its implications. We would target middle school and high school students of both genders, since it affects males and females. We would concentrate on this age group because they tend to be the most impressionable and have the one highest risks of becoming infected with some type of HPV.
We would have speakers who would go to schools around the state. They would discuss the possibilities of infection and the connection between the virus and more serious health problems. They would also discuss the vaccine- what it protects against, how it is given, side effects, and the like. Through their presentations, they would also promote safe sex practices and the importance of early detection and yearly screening.
We would also provide pamphlets for these students. These handouts would include important information on the virus, its implications, the vaccine, and other information. These may lead to discussions with parents, which can push the students to become vaccinated.
Research:
$250,000.00
We will allocate the remainder of the budget to state-based research. It is our hope that the research done in the state will be useful in other areas of the country and the world. Although it is a relatively small amount, it will be used to jump-start further research on the actions of the virus's components. Since it is already known that oncogenes E6 and E7 cause the amplification of HPV, this research will be geared towards preventing the oncogenes from amplifying. If the cancer cells can no longer be amplified, the virus will not be able to cause abnormalities in the cells lining the cervix. If this is completed, it will hopefully lead to a decrease in the transmission of HPV and lethality of cervical cancer.
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