Coalition provides bird’s eye view of cancer treatment and programs in state
LITTLE ROCK--Whether it is addressing the serious issue of access to treatment for cancer patients who need transportation or finding other resources providers can access for cancer patients, the Arkansas Cancer Coalition (ACC) is a one-stop resource center for the state.
“We have the bird’s eye view of cancer control initiatives here in Arkansas,” said Trena Mitchell, MA, executive director, ACC, Little Rock. “We are facilitators and conveners of the Arkansas Cancer Plan, the bible for cancer that covers everything from prevention all the way down to survivorship. It is a guide that our community-based organizations, healthcare providers and clinics can use to incorporate evidence-based strategies to reduce and ultimately eliminate the burden of cancer in Arkansas.”
With its partners who are coalition members, the ACC serves as a repository for information about who is working on which cancer strategies.
“We are a hub for cancer resources and data,” Mitchell said. “We have a pulse on everything dealing with cancer in Arkansas. We know who the cancer control partners are in different areas of the state. We are provided with funding to implement the goals, objectives and strategies of the Arkansas Cancer Plan.”
The ACC holds quarterly meetings that feature different partners who give updates and information about how they are working with cancer patients in their county.
“There is no one model to fit every single county,” Mitchell said. “Each organization puts its own spin on how they implement the strategies of the cancer plan.”
Other services of the ACC include offering funding to community-based organization to offer trainings to healthcare providers. Grants ranging from $700 to $2,500 are awarded to assist with continuing education symposiums.
“I think we are winning the war in creating awareness that cancer can be eliminated if we work together,” Mitchell said. “There was a time here when partners in Arkansas worked in silos. People were doing a little here and little there. There was impact and change, but it wasn’t felt all over Arkansas. Since the coalition stepped in, there has been a more synchronized approach to cancer care in Arkansas. People are realizing the coalition is here, and is available and willing to take on any fight we have to in order to eliminate the burden of cancer in Arkansas.”
Successes Mitchell points to include increased cancer screenings and better data collection.
“The Arkansas Central Cancer Registry is making great strides to have comprehensive cancer incidence and mortality data which helps us know which counties need the most assistance,” Mitchell said. “When the data indicates a strong need, the staff of the ACC helps find partners in that area if we don’t already have an established partner. We can go into a county and provide technical assistance and funding. We can conduct a needs assessment, and find out the major issues.”
One example of how data has been used to develop programs is that after learning that melanoma diagnoses in Arkansas rose 53 percent from 1997 to 2007, the staff of the Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House developed a Be Sun S.M.A.R.T. program to educate people about how to protect themselves from UV exposure.
“The Be Sun S.M.A.R.T program is amazing because it reaches thousands of individuals with an educational message and screening,” said Miriam Njoki Karanja, MBA, ACC director of programs. “It’s very comprehensive and is even recognized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
One of the quarterly ACC meetings is the Tobacco and Disease: Lung Cancer Symposium held annually in November.
“Lung cancer kills too many people in Arkansas,” Karanja said. “This educational program continues to expand as partners seek to help Arkansans, and keep our kids from ever touching tobacco. The symposium arms healthcare providers and community advocates with the tools they need to fight tobacco and lung cancer.
The Lung Cancer Symposium helps providers understand tobacco users, how to work with them to stop smoking using evidence-based treatment strategies for healthcare providers to use to talk to patients who use tobacco.
“Tobacco use is the cause of not just the illnesses, but it interferes with treatment,” Karanja said. “So we are trying to make it standard for all healthcare providers to ask patients about tobacco use, and assist them with cessation including referring them to the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline. Their chances of quitting are much greater with counseling than just by providing pharmacological therapy and sending them on their way.”
Karanja said it is important for healthcare providers to understand how addictive nicotine is and that many patients really need help to quit. Counseling and encouragement from healthcare providers can have a big impact.
The November symposium also provides an update on electronic cigarettes.
“They are everywhere,” Karanja said. “We didn’t know they would explode to this magnitude. People are coming in and saying: ‘I don’t smoke, but I use an e- cigarette.’ Some patients believe if they use an e-cigarette, they are safer. We help providers understand the language of those who are addicted to nicotine.”
A new study from Portland State University shows e-cigarettes have higher levels of formaldehyde than cigarettes, and it’s been known for years that formaldehyde is a known carcinogen.
Another effort of the coalition is assisting with programs to help with transportation for cancer patients. If people miss appointments because of lack of transportation, it can have a major negative impact on early detection of cancer when it is more treatable. It can also greatly impact the effectiveness of treatments for cancer. Some people just need a gas card, while others might need a cab or van to pick them up.
How You Can Help.
There are many ways in which you can join the fight:
• Become a coalition member
• Join a specific ACC work group
• Help develop new information tools
• Make a tax-deductible or in-kind contribution at www.arcancercoalition.org
