SAN DIEGO (CNS) - First lady Jill Biden arrived in San Diego Friday as part of a California trip in support of the administration's efforts regarding cancer treatment and initiatives for military and veteran families.
Ahead of World Cancer Day on Saturday, Biden visited the Logan Heights Family Health Center, where she highlighted the administration's Cancer Moonshot initiative, which aims to improve access to cancer screenings and early detection for those in underserved communities.
"A lot of cancers are curable. And people don't need to be scared. I mean you're always scared when you hear the word cancer but they don't need to be afraid like people were maybe 10 years ago, because now things have advanced so far. It's because we have all this evidence-based research," Biden said.
Last year, the Family Health Centers of San Diego received Cancer Moonshot funding to better serve cancer patients and their families.
Biden also talked about the importance of patient navigators, who help walk people and their families through the cancer screening process, as well as provide resources for cancer care and treatment.
"You hear the word cancer and you don’t hear anything else and it’s so frightening and you don’t know where to go, who to talk to, who’s the best doctor, what trials to get into, what does this all mean and so your [patient navigators] jobs are incredibly important to the families," Biden said.
Biden also spoke at a gathering of the crew and families of the San Diego-based Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords, discussing the Joining Forces initiative, which supports military families with employment, child education, and health care.
On Saturday, Biden will travel to Oceanside to visit the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic.
Biden is scheduled to be a presenter at Sunday's Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
