What is the Maryland Cancer Fund?

The Maryland Cancer Fund is a resource for funding for cancer prevention, screening, treatment, and research in Maryland.

House Bill 1000 was passed in 2004 and established the Maryland Cancer Fund within the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.  The Maryland Cancer Fund is a resource for funding for cancer prevention, screening, treatment, and research in Maryland. The money in the Maryland Cancer Fund comes from contributions by Maryland residents in an income tax checkoff system on the Maryland annual tax return or from other donations to the fund.  

How are contributions made to the Maryland Cancer Fund?

2009 Maryland Cancer Fund Grant Recipients

Cancer Early Detection/Secondary Prevention Grant
Cecil County Health Department 
Project Title: Cecil County’s Colorectal Cancer Supplemental Screening Project

The Cecil County Colorectal Cancer Supplemental Screening Project is awarded the Maryland Cancer Fund Cancer Early Detection/Screening Grant for Fiscal Year 2010.  The program will provide outreach, education and colorectal cancer screening to low-income, uninsured Cecil County residents. Outreach efforts will focus on all males and minority females/males to decrease race and gender disparities.  The project staff will partner with community organizations to identify existing barriers to accessing colorectal screenings and will conduct activates geared to overcoming these barriers.  With advisement from the Cancer Task Force, a community coalition, this project will detect cancer in the early stages for 20 eligible clients who would otherwise not be screened; 30% of these clients will be males and minorities who meet eligibility criteria.

Cancer Primary Prevention Grant
Garrett County Health Department
Project Title: Garrett County Primary Prevention Grant

The Garrett County Health Department is awarded the Maryland Cancer Fund Cancer Primary Prevention Grant for Fiscal Year 2010.  The population group that will be served is limited income residents of subsidized housing facilities in Garrett County.  These residents are at high risk of cancer and other chronic diseases due to being economically disadvantaged and living in a place based disparity area.  The goals of the program are to improve access to programs that promote healthy eating and physical activity; improve access to tobacco cessation; support residents of limited income housing facilities in grassroots advocacy for activities that increase availability of and access to healthy eating and physical activity; and increase linkages between residents of limited income housing facilities and health-related resources.

Cancer Early Detection/Secondary Prevention Grant
Shore Health System
Project Title: Mid-Shore Prostate Cancer Early Detection Program

Shore Health System is awarded the Maryland Cancer Fund Cancer Early Detection/Screening Grant for Fiscal Year 2010.  This is a collaborative multi-county effort, under the direction of Shore Health System, aimed at providing prostate cancer secondary prevention services to low-income, uninsured, high-risk Maryland men.  Shore Regional Cancer Center, Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot County Health Departments along with physicians from Eastern Shore Urologists will work together to increase access for the target population.  With ongoing communication between the program partners, men diagnosed with prostate cancer will be referred for treatment and connected with Shore Regional Cancer Center staff for assistance in identifying resources to pay for their care.

Cancer Early Detection/Secondary Prevention Grant
Baltimore County Department of Health
Project Title: Baltimore County Cancer Prevention Program – Colorectal, Skin and
                        Prostate Cancer Screening

The Baltimore County Department of Health was awarded the Maryland Cancer Fund Cancer Early Detection/Screening Grant for Fiscal Year 2010.  The grant will provide cancer screening services to Baltimore County residents, age 50-64, or age appropriate as evidenced by risk factors, who are low income and uninsured.  The program will use the funding to provide 50 additional colonoscopies, 50 skin cancer screenings and 25 prostate cancer screenings.  For the last nine years, the Baltimore County Health Department has received a grant through the Cigarette Restitution Fund (CRF) to provide cancer screening and outreach. With the current CRF funding the Baltimore County Department of Health is unable to meet the demand for colorectal screening.  The cancer screenings funded through this grant will help Baltimore County provide needed services to its most disadvantaged population and move toward reducing cancer rates.

2008 Grant Recipients for Cancer Early Detection/Secondary Prevention