On December 7, NCI announced the selection of 15 organizations to operate its Cancer Information Service (CIS). The 5-year contract awards are anticipated to become effective Jan. 15, 2005, with a combined value projected to reach $20.9 million in the first year.

Located at medical centers across the country, these 15 regional offices will serve the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S.-associated Pacific Territories. A complete list of awardees is available at http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/CISAwardsRecompete2004.

The contracts involve three program areas: the CIS Partnership Program, CIS Contact Centers, and the CIS Research Program.

CIS Partnership Program
CIS works with national, state, and regional organizations to develop and disseminate cancer information and education programs to reach people without easy access to them, such as minority and medically underserved populations.

NCI will award 15 contracts to operate a regionalized CIS Partnership Program. Working together, CIS and its partners will reach those most in need of cancer information and services.

CIS Contact Centers
CIS is the federal government's source for the latest, most accurate cancer information for the public, patients and their families, and health professionals. In addition, CIS offers smoking cessation counseling. Each year, CIS receives nearly 300,000 calls through its toll-free telephone service, which has been in operation for nearly 30 years and offers information in English and Spanish.

Four of the 15 organizations will operate CIS Contact Centers to provide information to the public by telephone and through LiveHelp, the instant messaging service accessible through NCI's Web site, www.cancer.gov.

CIS Research Program
The CIS Research Program studies ways to promote healthy behaviors and communicate cancer information effectively. It helps both the CIS Contact Centers and Partnership Program better understand, apply, and disseminate effective communication approaches to educate the public about cancer and contribute to the nation's cancer control efforts.

All 15 organizations will participate in the CIS Research Program and will engage in cancer control, behavioral, and health communications research that supports NCI's priorities and programs. Four of the organizations were selected as coordinators of the Research Program.

"Advances in technology have enabled us to reduce the number of Contact Centers from 14 offices in 2004 to 4 offices in 2005," said Mary Anne Bright, CIS director. "This new configuration of 15 regional Partnership Program offices with 4 Contact Centers maximizes NCI's potential for preserving and enhancing trusted, long-standing regional partnerships."

Additional information about CIS can be found at http://cis.nci.nih.gov.