Cancer Policy Reform:
1 in 9's Legislative Initiatives

We stand committed to the fight against breast cancer;
until the day that such efforts are needed no more.

In November 1990, Francine Kritchek and Marie Quinn were two women among many silently suffering from breast cancer on Long Island. It was different then. People didn’t discuss the “B” word. If you had it, it was a secret. Public officials would often tense up at the mere mention of it. Kritchek and Quinn refused to accept this reality. Silence, ignorance and complacency, they insisted, must be replaced with widespread awareness about Long Island’s epidemic, increased funding for research and a serious look into potential environmental links.
Legislative action, they declared, was the gateway to change.
This declaration to take action was made, planting a seed that germinated and grew beyond anyone’s expectations. Others were convened, mobilized, and
Long Island’s first grassroots breast cancer advocacy organization was born.

Since its founding, 1 in 9 has worked valiantly on the legislative front urging local, state and national lawmakers to write legislation that positively impacts breast cancer issues.

Through dozens of symposiums and forums, we have engaged our lawmakers in discussions about the breast cancer epidemic, continuously putting the issue onto the political radar screen and promoting legislative reform.

It has been our mission to translate technical scientific research and environmental data in ways the general public can make use of it, and then bridge the communication gap between citizens and their elected officials.

Our Coalition:

  • Raised over $1 million for innovative cancer research projects
  • Spearheaded the drive for the Long Island Breast Cancer Research Project
  • Fought for three years to effect New York State’s Pesticide Registry Law
  • Fought for passage of the Income Tax Check-off for Breast Cancer Research
  • Advocated for New York State’s Women’s Health Law of 1997, putting an end to “drive-through” mastectomies
  • Pushed for passage of the Neighbor Notification Bill, requiring commercial pesticide applicators to notify neighbors of adjoining properties,
  • Was invited by the United States Information Agency to meet with representatives from Third World countries at an international conference held in the Nassau County Executive Building in Mineola to discuss breast cancer, environmental links and breast cancer support and treatment.