Ga. Sen. Ossoff pushes to expand VA programs for breast cancer

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - When it comes to breast cancer, yearly screenings can save lives.

Now, there is a push to make screenings even easier for our veterans to get.

This comes as the Senate passed a bill with an amendment by Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, expanding Department of Veterans Affairs mobile mammography programs.

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On Wednesday, we spoke with Ossoff on why this was so important to include in the bill.

“One of the things I hear consistently from veterans, particularly in rural areas in Georgia, is that they have difficulty accessing health care services because they’re far from the nearest clinic, and finding out where and how they can access health care services. So, I thought, look, let’s bring Republicans and Democrats in the Senate together and pass this measure to expand access to breast cancer screenings for veterans,” said Ossoff.

Ossoff says that if the bill passes the House, he’s confident President Joe Biden will sign the bill into law.

“It includes equipment upgrades to ensure that female veterans are getting the very best available breast cancer screening services, and it also includes outreach to female veterans to ensure they know how and where they can access breast cancer screening through the VA,” he said.

He noted that breast cancer has touched every family and every community in the country.

“And the good news is that with modern mammography, early screening really does save lives. But we’ve got to make sure that that technology and those services are available to veterans in Georgia and across the country,” he said.

Meanwhile ...

Ossoff is delivering resources to upgrade Georgia’s infrastructure through the bipartisan infrastructure law.

On Wednesday, Ossoff announced the state of Georgia will receive over $1.8 billion in Fiscal Year 2024 to upgrade roads, bridges, highways, and other surface transportation systems through the bipartisan infrastructure law, which will boost the Georgia Department of Transportation’s ongoing work across Georgia.

“Two years ago, we brought Republicans and Democrats together to do what’s in the national interest and in Georgia’s interest by passing the historic bipartisan infrastructure law, the most significant investment in America’s infrastructure since the Eisenhower administration,” said Ossoff.

Since passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law 2 years ago, Ossoff has delivered funding for key projects in Augusta and across the CSRA, including:

• $11.59 million for bridge rehabilitation and preservation along several major highways and state & local routes in Warren, Richmond, and Taliaferro counties.
• $7.69 million to improve safety and efficiency along Willis Foreman Road, connecting Augusta with Macon and Savannah.
• Aims to improve the roadway capacity by widening, resurfacing, and reconstructing the existing curb and gutter, sidewalks, lighting, and storm sewer system on Willis Foreman Road from Deans Bridge to Peach Orchard. The proposed project enhances connectivity between two urban major corridors.
• $3 million to help rehabilitate the passenger terminal building, expand the passenger holding room, and make additional maintenance upgrades at Augusta Regional Airport.
• $6.3 million for Augusta-Richmond County to purchase electric buses and charging equipment.

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