HPV legislation in Arkansas

Women in Government Ratings
Women in Government, a non-profit network of state level women legislators, receives significant funding from the pharmaceutical industry, including Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and Digene Corporation -- all with products related to HPV vaccination and testing. According to their report, "The 'State' of Cervical Cancer Prevention in America - 2008" :

POPULATION: 2,810,872

Incidence & Mortality (2008 Score / 2007 Score)
 * Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate: 9.8/100,000 (1/ 1)
 * Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate/Race: White: 10.0, Black: 10.5
 * Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate: 3.6/100,000 (1 / 1)
 * Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate/Race: White: 3.3, Black: 6.5

Screening (2008 Score / 2007 Score)
 * Cervical Cancer Screening Rate: 80.5% (0 / 1)
 * Cervical Cancer Screening Rate/Race: White: 81.8%, Black: 83.8%
 * % Uninsured/Unscreened: 28.7% (1 / 1)
 * Medicaid Coverage HPV Testing: Unrestricted (2 / 2)

Healthcare Access (2008 Score / 2007 Score)
 * Rate Uninsured Women: 24% (0 / 0)
 * % Low Income/Uninsured Women: 42%

Policy Initiatives and Infrastructure (2008 Score / Cumulative Score (2005–2008)

Screening Requirements (0 / 0)
 * There are no new screening requirements.

Task Forces (0 / 2)
 * There is no new cervical cancer prevention task force legislation.

Access to HPV Vaccines (1 / 1)
 * SB 954 would have required the Div. of Health to provide vaccination against HPV to girls 12 and older. The bill was withdrawn.

HPV Vaccine Information Programs (0 / 0)
 * There is no HPV vaccine information activity.

Miscellaneous (0 / 2)
 * There is no new miscellaneous cervical cancer prevention activity.

Additional Notes
 * State health officials had hoped to receive $4 million from the Legislature to make the HPV vaccine available to 10,000 girls and teens, but money was not available.

Annual Ratings
 * 2008: Fair (10 out of 22 points)
 * 2007: Good (10 out of 18 points)

SourceWatch Resources

 * Gardasil
 * GlaxoSmithKline
 * Merck
 * Women in Government
 * Edelman
 * The Marketing of Gardasil in Australia
 * The Marketing of Gardasil in Canada
 * The Marketing of Gardasil in Europe
 * The Marketing of Gardasil in New Zealand
 * The Marketing of Gardasil in the United States
 * Direct-to-consumer advertising
 * Disease Mongering
 * Drug industry