Some Fred Hutch cancer programs stopped due to federal shutdown

SEATTLE -- Several programs at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have received stop-work orders from the federal government.

Eighty-six employees have also been put on temporary administrative leave on Tuesday. The employees were fully funded by federal contracts.

The National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service, a national education program based at Fred Hutch, is also on hold. The program provided a free, bilingual cancer information service for more than 10,000 patients and their families every month.

The federal government shutdown will also affect some employees who work in the cancer center's operational and administrative departments and interact with federal agencies.

"While a federal government shutdown of limited duration would be tolerable, an extended shutdown would be challenging to Fred Hutch in pursuit of its mission to eliminate cancer and other diseases as causes of human suffering and death," Kristen Lidke Woodward, senior media relations manager, said.