New! CDOC Member Spotlight

Providence St. Joseph Eureka Center

The work of CDOC members is vital to achieving our shared vision of reducing cancer suffering and mortality across California. This month, we're spotlighting one of our cancer center partners, Providence St. Joseph Eureka Center! 

Program Description: Providence St. Joseph Hospital Eureka provides the only comprehensive cancer care program for Humboldt County and surrounding rural communities in Northwest

California. The program serves a region larger than Connecticut and Rhode Island combined, where patients face challenges such as geographic isolation, difficult terrain, severe winter weather and high poverty rates. 

Despite these barriers, the program delivers multidisciplinary oncology care to a diverse

population, including 14 Indigenous tribes historically underserved and underrepresented in clinical studies. Since the 1970s, the program has evolved through innovation and collaboration, offering prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment—including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Care is supported by a team of oncologists, surgeons, nurses, social workers, dietitians and navigators.

Accredited by the Commission on Cancer, the program features advanced technology such as PET/CT, MRI and two linear accelerators. Patient-centered amenities include Evergreen Lodge, which provides on-site housing for those who cannot easily travel home during treatment.

In July 2024, the Journal of Clinical Oncology published a study on rural cancer mortality disparities. Humboldt County, home to Providence St. Joseph Eureka, reported lower-than-expected cancer mortality rates—defying national trends for rural areas. This outcome underscores the program’s success in overcoming rural health barriers and delivering equitable, high-quality cancer care.



For more information about the cancer services at Providence St. Joseph Hospital Eureka, learn more here.

Contact info:  Priscilla Lynn, RN, MSN, OCN (Pricilla.Lynn@providence.org).



View CDOC Member/Project Spotlight: https://www.cdoconline.net/cdoc-spotlight

Spotlight Your Program!

Do you have a resource, program success, or event to share with other CDOC members? We'd love to feature it as a future project spotlight on the CDOC member project spotlight page!



To nominate a project click here.

The CDOC Orientation Webinar Recording – Learn how to make the most of your membership with this on-demand video, covering CDOC’s mission, benefits, and engagement opportunities. [Watch Now]

As a valued CDOC member, we'd like to remind you of the many levels of membership engagement opportunities for new and existing CDOC members:

• CDOC Workgroups
• Networking opportunities
• Professional development (educational webinars, in-person meetings, etc.)
• Accessing exclusive content (CDOC listserv, comprehensive cancer updates, etc.)
• Spotlighting your organization's projects 
• Industry-specific knowledge sharing

To learn how you can stay involved with CDOC, view our Membership page on the CDOC website.

Let Us Know How You Use

The State Cancer Plan!

2021-2025 State Cancer Plan Corner

December 2025 Cancer Plan Corner Highlight

Chapter 8: Early Detection & Screening



For December we are highlighting the Early Detection & Screening Chapter. Regular screening can often help find some cancers early, before they have a chance to spread and when treatment is more likely to be successful. Regular screening can also help find and remove certain pre-cancers before they have a chance to turn into cancer.

Knowing your personal and family medical history can help you understand your cancer risk and which screening recommendations are best for you. The lifestyle choices you make about diet, exercise, tobacco, and alcohol use (and other habits) can also affect your risk (ACS, 2025).

Please visit our website to read more on the cancer plan's Early Detection & Screening objectives. You may also access the specific chapter here.

Contact info: cdocshare@gmail.com

Dec 18-21: Public Health Foundation Event 2025 Public Health Learning Forum

Butts & Badges Program

Help Cheeky Charity Spread the Word to Health Centers

Our partners at Cheeky Charity are kicking off March’s Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month early and your clinic or organization can be part of it! Learn how to join this light-hearted, high-impact campaign that’s helping normalize conversations around colorectal and anal cancer screening.

How It Works:

Participating clinics receive a set of free enamel pins featuring a friendly heart/butt design for their patient-facing staff to wear throughout March. These pins are more than just a fun accessory they’re designed to spark conversations, reduce stigma, and encourage early detection of colorectal and anal cancers. They’re light-hearted, impactful, and a great way to show support while engaging patients.

What’s Included:

• Educational Webinars held in February to prepare staff
• Cheeky Charity Awareness Pins for staff to wear in March (and beyond)
• Conversation Starter Guide with key facts and messaging tips
• Patient & Survivor Support Info to share with those in need

Why It Matters:

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., and rates are rising among adults under 50. Anal cancer cases are also increasing, yet awareness and screening remain low. A simple conversation can make a difference and wearing a pin makes it easier to start one.

Know a Clinic That Might Be a Good Fit?

Cheeky Charity would love your help spreading the word. If you know a clinic or team that might be interested, feel free to share the link below.

AACR Pediatric Cancer Progress Report 2025 Congressional Briefing

On December 4, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) held a congressional briefing to unveil the inaugural AACR Pediatric Cancer Progress Report 2025. This landmark report provides the latest statistics on pediatric cancer incidence, mortality, and survivorship, while highlighting scientific advances, sharing inspiring patient stories, and calling for increased federal investments in pediatric cancer research to ensure that we continue to accelerate progress against pediatric cancers.

At the briefing, AACR Chief Executive Officer Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), presented the report alongside past AACR President (2019-2020) Elaine Mardis, PhD, and current AACR Board Member Kimberly Stegmaier, MD, who both served as chairs of the AACR Pediatric Cancer Progress Report 2025 steering committee. Other participants at the briefing included Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX); National Cancer Institute Director Anthony Letai, MD, PhD; and many of the pediatric cancer survivors and their families whose stories were told in the report.

Watch the recording of this important briefing and read the report—a powerful call to action for lifesaving progress for children and adolescents with cancer.

We’re excited to share a new resource from our partners, SelfMade Health Network at CDC’s Consortium of National Networks, focused on reducing lung cancer risks by addressing food insecurity among low-income populations. Explore practical recommendations, webinars, and downloadable tools to support strategic planning, partnerships, and community engagement. Learn more here.

Enhancing Community-Clinical Linkages: Reducing Lung Cancer Risks with Food Insecurity Among Low-Income Populations

• Access to our brand-new resources is available at: https://selfmadehealth.org/educate/determinants-of-health-fact-sheets/
• Access to webinars and downloadable attachments are available at: https://selfmadehealth.org/webcasts/

Survivorship Toolkit: Resources for Your Outreach

For December, our partners at GW Cancer Center are highlighting their Survivorship Awareness Toolkit. This resource offers messaging, social media graphics, and communication materials to help programs and coalitions promote quality survivorship care and connect survivors with needed support.

• New! California Department of Public Health (CDPH): The West Coast Health Alliance, CDPH, and Leading National Medical Organizations Continue to Recommend Hepatitis B Vaccination for Newborns

• New! Cancer Prevention Works - In the latest edition of Cancer Prevention Works, you'll see our latest progress on cancer prevention and early detection initiatives across the Foundation.

Learn how to talk to loved ones about routine screenings and about the troubling trend of women putting their health on the back burner. We’re also sharing the recent updates on the Supreme Court upholding no-cost access to preventive services and the breast cancer research your donations support. Read more here: Cancer Prevention Works - Fall 2025.

• MENA Category in Race/Ethnicity Standards: New Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) category has been federally approved, but implementation will take time across systems. This is a call for awareness and potential collaboration--especially for cancer centers and partners involved in data collection, reporting, and equity initiatives.

CDOC is made up of a diverse group of stakeholders that engage in important and impactful work we'd like to showcase. We have a new process for submitting your trainings, events, articles, grant opportunities, and more.  

We kindly ask you to email us any content by the 5th of each month to Joyce Ceja (joyce.ceja@cdph.ca.gov). If there is time-sensitive information (e.g. upcoming training) that you would like to share, we will do our best to include, but cannot guarantee that it will make the newsletter or announcements.  

Submission requirements: 

• Include a title
• Include the exact verbiage you'd like for us to include. Please do not include an attachment and ask us to share, a title and verbiage must be included.
• Include a contact person for any inquiries   
• Include any attachments in a pdf file if possible

We appreciate your patience and support at this time, and we look forward to your submissions.