National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2021

Proclamation 10245 of August 31, 2021

National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2021

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In 2021, over 248,500 Americans have been diagnosed
with prostate cancer. Even as we make tremendous
advancements in cancer research and treatment, prostate
cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and
the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among our
Nation's fathers, sons, husbands, and brothers. Today,
one in eight men in the United States will be diagnosed
with prostate cancer in his lifetime--often without any
previous signs or symptoms. During National Prostate
Cancer Awareness Month, we rededicate ourselves to
supporting those diagnosed with prostate cancer through
research, education, and access to prevention,
treatment, and follow-up care and support. Together, we
can increase awareness of this cancer, and improve the
care and well-being of those impacted by this disease.

Awareness of the risk factors of prostate cancer can
help men make informed choices about their health with
their primary health care providers--especially for men
over the age of 65, men who have a family history of
prostate cancer, and Black men who have a higher chance
of developing and suffering from prostate cancer. I
encourage all men and their families to learn the
latest information on prostate cancer at
www.cancer.gov/types/prostate and www.cdc.gov/cancer/prostate prostate. I also encourage every American to get
recommended cancer screenings, check-ups, and
treatments from your health care providers. Most
importantly, talk to your doctor about your risks for
developing prostate cancer.

My Administration continues to push for groundbreaking
discoveries and innovative treatments to end cancer as
we know it. That is why I am working to create an
Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health at the
National Institutes of Health--or ARPA-H--which would
invest 6.5 billion dollars to develop breakthroughs
that prevent, detect, and treat cancer and other deadly
diseases.

I am also committed to funding research to expand
prevention and treatment of prostate cancer
specifically. Today, researchers funded by the National
Cancer Institute are working to advance our
understanding of how to prevent, detect, and treat
prostate cancer. The National Institutes of Health and
partners in the private sector have launched the
largest-ever coordinated research effort to investigate
environmental and genetic factors related to prostate
cancer to better understand why it disproportionately
impacts Black men. And we are working on methods to
prepare more advanced early detection tests and
clinical trials to develop and enhance treatments for
all men.

My Administration will also continue to protect and
fight to build on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the
important protections it provides for all Americans,
including for men with prostate cancer. The ACA
prohibits insurance companies from restrictive annual
dollar limits on benefits, and it prohibits insurers
from denying coverage or charging higher premiums to
patients with prostate cancer--or any other pre-
existing medical condition. The ACA also helps ensure
that every man with prostate cancer receives quality
health care.

Our Nation has made exceptional progress in the fight
against cancer, and I am committed to doing everything
I can to bring together the knowledge, as well as the
human and financial resources necessary to advance that
progress. We owe every person who has lost their battle
with this disease, every person living with this
disease, and every person who may one day be diagnosed
with it, our continued work to defeat it. During
National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, let us renew
our efforts to save lives and spare suffering by
accelerating our work to end cancer as we know it.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2021
as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. I
encourage citizens, government agencies, private
businesses, nonprofit organizations, and other
interested groups to join in activities that will
increase awareness of what Americans can do to prevent
and cure prostate cancer.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
sixth.