This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Lawmakers approved at least $6.2 million in new money for Huntsman Cancer Institute late Thursday, funds that officials at the Salt Lake City center say will help expand research.
The institute will get about $4 million in state cash to offset the loss of settlement money from a 1998 lawsuit against tobacco companies, but lawmakers also promised $2.24 million more starting in 2018.
They also allocated another $1.5 million to the institute in one-time money for this year.
Institute CEO Mary Beckerle said all the state funds are designated for clinical research as well as updates in technology and other facility improvements.
For its current fiscal year, Huntsman Cancer Institute is drawing about 6.3 percent of operating revenue for cancer research from the state, with the remainder coming from private donations, competitive contract, grants and other sources.
Beckerle said the newly allocated state money will also allow the institute to continue research on the unique needs of the nearly 11,000 Utahns diagnosed with cancer yearly.
Such projects, she said, include ones focused on melanoma, childhood cancer as well as easing challenges faced by cancer patients and caregivers living in rural areas of the state.
"We are the official cancer center in Utah and we take that recognition seriously," Beckerle said. "We have a deep responsibility to make a difference for our entire population."
kgifford@sltrib.com Twitter @kelgiffo
—
Editor's note: The owner and publisher of The Salt Lake Tribune is Paul Huntsman, son of Huntsman Cancer Institute founder Jon Huntsman Sr.