Jerry Carlyle, vice-chairman of the San Xavier District, performs a traditional blessing to welcome first lady Jill Biden and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, at the San Xavier Health Center in the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation near Tucson on Tuesday.

 Mamta Popat, Arizona Daily Star

First lady Jill Biden visited the Tohono O’odham Nation on Tuesday as part of a nationwide effort to reduce cancer deaths and reach underserved communities that often lack the resources and funding to save lives.

A line of four Tohono O’odham runners led the first lady’s motorcade on the final stretch to the San Xavier Health Center, a primary care outpatient clinic in the nation’s San Xavier District south of Tucson. Having the runners lead is a high honor bestowed on distinguished guests of the nation. Biden was also welcomed with a traditional prayer ceremony and blessing by Jerry Carlyle, San Xavier vice chairman.

The visit is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Cancer Moonshot initiative. The goal is to cut the cancer death rates by at least 50% over the next 25 years and also improve the lives of people diagnosed with cancer and the families of those patients.

The first lady visited the Tohono O'odham Nation's San Xavier Health Center south of Tucson as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Cancer Moonshot initiative on Tuesday.

The event, also attended by the Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, is to promote the initiative President Biden started in 2016 when he was vice president.

The University of Arizona’s Cancer Center received $3 million as part of the moonshot effort. The three-year award, provided in 2020, is focused on increasing colorectal cancer screening in Arizona’s American Indian communities. A primary objective: Expand the use of proven cancer prevention and work to provide more early-detection and treatment strategies.

First lady Jill Biden, center, and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, right, participate in a tour of San Xavier del Bac Mission on the Tohono O’odham Nation.

Joann Sweasy, director of the UA Cancer Center, said the center is already partnering with six Arizona tribes, and the newest partnership is with the Tohono O’odham.

Compared with the general population, American Indians have experienced no improvements in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality, have disproportionate diagnoses of late-stage disease and have lower survival rates. These disparities are because of low screening rates and poor access to treatments.

In Arizona, she said only about 9% to 15% of American Indians are screened for this type of cancer compared to about 75% of Arizonans overall.

“Screening is prevention,” Sweasy said. “We could completely prevent colon cancer by screening.”

Four cultural runners escort first lady Jill Biden's motorcade onto Tohono O'odham Nation during a visit to the San Xavier Health Center in the San Xavier District of the Tohono O'odham Nation, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Cancer Moonshot initiative.

And forming partnerships is critical to reaching more people, she said.

“It’s important to listen and to understand what their needs are,” she said. “We don’t go in there and tell them what they need. We don’t know what they need.”

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading overall cause of cancer deaths, representing about 9% of all new cancer cases in the United States. Regular screening for colorectal cancer is strongly recommended for all individuals between ages 50 and 75.

There are no treatment centers where Tohono O’odham members can get colonoscopies or treatment for cancer on the nation, and so they are usually referred to a Tucson hospital for these services. Becerra said this is one of many areas of concern when it comes to helping underserved communities get the health care they need.

First lady Jill Biden speaks to supporters at the home of Tucson Mayor Regina Romero in Tucson on Tuesday. Biden and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, visited the San Xavier Health Center in the San Xavier District of the Tohono O'odham Nation, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Cancer Moonshot initiative.

The pandemic, he said, made those disparities even more evident.

The first lady said the visit will help better inform her about what’s needed to help communities like the Tohono O’odham Nation provide better health care. Preventing cancer deaths is personal, she said, referring to their son, Joseph (Beau) Biden III, who died in 2015 of a brain tumor.

“Joe and I never stop,” she said of their work to prevent cancer deaths. “It touches us all. It’s a bipartisan issue.”

Tribal Chairman Ned Norris Jr. said they were grateful for the visit.

“We’re excited that you chose to come here,” he said. Reaching people on the 2.8 million acre reservation is challenging, he said.

President Biden announced Feb. 2 a reignition of the Cancer Moonshot. Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act in December 2016, authorizing $1.8 billion in funding for the Cancer Moonshot over seven years. The funding must be appropriated each fiscal year.

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Contact reporter Patty Machelor at 806-7754 or