Frontline Healthcare Workers Support Prop 38 to Advance Life-Saving Medical Research and New Treatments

California healthcare advocates say Prop 38 will support life-saving treatments and cures for devastating diseases that affect nearly every California family

SACRAMENTO, CA, UNITED STATES, October 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Nurses, physicians and healthcare professionals who care for Californians every day urge voters to vote YES on Proposition 38, the Immunology Medical Research & Cures Initiative, because the measure will provide much-needed resources to advance medical research and help develop the next generation of treatments and cures.

The American Nurses Association\California, Union of American Physicians and Dentists and Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine are among a growing coalition of healthcare organizations, patient advocates, researchers and medical professionals supporting Prop 38. Together, their support reflects the urgency healthcare professionals see as patients and families wait for better ways to prevent, treat and ultimately cure devastating diseases.

“Every day, nurses care for patients and families who are hoping for a treatment that works, giving them more time together or a breakthrough that can change the course of a devastating diagnosis,” said Chris Tarver, R.N., President of American Nurses Association\California. “I know this road personally: my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer and one year of immunotherapy has kept her cancer-free for over 5 years and counting. I’ve seen what this life-extending treatment has meant for her and our family. Prop 38 will make sure more patients and their families get that chance.” READ MORE HERE

“Physicians want every patient to have the best treatment options medicine can provide, but those options begin with sustained investment in research,” said R. Douglas Chiappetta, M.A., Executive Director of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists. “Prop 38 will help California researchers continue pursuing new ways to prevent, treat and cure serious diseases. For physicians caring for patients every day, accelerating that work means the possibility of more treatment options and better outcomes for the people who are counting on us.”

Prop 38 will provide $8.4 billion in vital funding for immunology research to prevent and treat cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease, and other persistent diseases. Immunotherapies harness the body's own immune system to cure and prevent diseases, and they are already successfully treating patients with melanoma, lung cancer, leukemia and lymphoma. Prop 38 will fund the next generation of this research for other devastating diseases, like Parkinson’s, diabetes, ALS, muscular dystrophy, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis.

“Scientific research has transformed our understanding of diseases and continues to give physicians better tools to prevent illness and improve patients’ lives,” said Neal Barnard, M.D., FACC, President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. “Prop 38 provides sustained resources for California scientists to pursue rigorous research into the diseases that continue to take an enormous toll on patients and families. Investing in high-quality medical research today will help create better options for patients in the future.”

Uncertainty in federal research funding, which halted at least 160 active clinical trials nationwide in 2025, is stalling discoveries at the exact moment medical research has momentum.

“For decades, scientists have relied on the federal government as a dependable partner in biomedical research because the results benefit all of us, far beyond any laboratory or institution,” said Joseph Sabatino, MD, PhD., Assistant Professor of Neurology at UCSF in the Division of Neuroimmunology and Glial Biology. “But that steadfast dependability has been shattered in the past few years, taken over by drastic cutbacks, uncertainty and political motivations.” READ MORE HERE.

Prop 38 is designed to pay for itself. Ten percent of all proceeds from the licensing of immunotherapies will offset the measure's total costs, including interest. Additionally, any cure or immunotherapy developed will be provided to California patients at a 20 percent discount below the national average. Prop 38 also includes strict accountability requirements, including:
- Two percent cap on state administrative expenses
- Public disclosure of spending
- Independent financial audits
- For-profit corporations are not eligible for grant funding

Learn more at YESon38.com, including a coalition list and what supporters are saying.

Robin Swanson
YES on Prop 38
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