Chandler City Council member Christine Ellis speaks during a recent meeting. Ellis, a former nurse and probably the council’s most vocal supporter of health screenings for the city’s first responders, applauded those who helped arrange an expansion of types of cancer screenings for Chandler Police Department employees that council approved in September.
During her nearly six years on Chandler City Council, Councilmember Christine Ellis has often praised the efforts to get more cancer and other health screening done on as many first-responders as possible.
At a September meeting, Ellis had occasion to issue such praise yet again.
Council unanimously approved an amended contract with the Vincere Cancer Center to add the Chandler Police Department to be eligible for first-responder cancer screenings, and to increase contract value by $1.1 million for a total contract of $1.65 million.
When the program was first approved in 2024, it was only for the Chandler Fire Department.
Assistant Police Chief Jason Sieczkowski read a staff report at the meeting that included a description of the program, including the types of blood testing it includes.
“This is a voluntary pilot program,” Sieczkowski said. “Medical decisions made as a result of such testing will remain between patient and doctor, consistent with how the Chandler Fire Department’s been using this program since 2024.”
Ellis said it had been her intent to add police to cancer screening since its inception.
“As a first-responder myself, I always want to look out for those on the front lines,” Ellis said. “Thank you, chief, for this and for everything you all do. I think you’re going to get great participation.”
Sieczkowski said CPD leadership will mount a robust information campaign to get as many police officers and others to take advantage of it. He said that campaign will include the reminder that screenings are done during shift time, so that employees don’t need to use their own personal time for such appointments.
The staff report states research has demonstrated that law enforcement personnel face elevated occupational health risks that contribute to higher rates of certain cancers compared to the general population.
“Throughout their careers, police employees are routinely exposed to chronic stress, shift work that disrupts normal sleep patterns, traffic-related air pollution, hazardous materials, and other environmental and occupational hazards associated with emergency response and law enforcement operations,” the staff report states. “These cumulative exposures increase the risk of developing several forms of cancer and other serious medical conditions over the course of a career.”
The screening is for 264 eligible sworn and professional staff age 40 or older. Screening services can include a multi-cancer early detection blood test, cardiac blood testing, whole-body MRI, and an oncology consultation, and for women participants meeting eligibility criteria, a breast cancer blood test.
Screening will be determined by Vincere Cancer Center medical providers based on each participant’s individual risk profile, including factors such as age, years of service, medical history, and evidence-based screening guidelines.
Sieczkowski pointed out that the $1.1 million to expand the program to Chandler Police is coming entirely from the department’s forfeiture fund.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here