Vermonters Taking Action Against Cancer | VTAAC

72nd VTAAC Quarterly Newsletter

Vermonters Taking Action Against Cancer (VTAAC) provides a forum for collaboration, engagement and sharing of resources for individuals and organizations concerned about cancer in Vermont.

VTAAC Quarterly Newsletters share VTAAC news and resources, provide information on the progress of our 2025 Vermont Cancer Plan, communicate meetings and events, and enhance statewide collaboration. 

For additional information or meeting details, please visit our website or reach out to Hanna at coordinator@vtaac.org.

VTAAC's HPV Taskforce is looking for clinical expertise to help inform their next project focus. This group has worked on two call-to-action letters for health care providers and oral health care providers but are now working to identify a new focus.

At the next virtual HPV Taskforce meeting on Thursday, September 18 from 11 a.m. to noon, members will discuss the latest HPV data in Vermont, review the Vermont Cancer Plan Status Report 2 (highlighted below) and discuss ways to collaborate around effective HPV evidence-based interventions.

If you're interested in getting involved in the HPV Taskforce, click the Save Meeting to Calendar button. After clicking on the button below, click the "Download" button that appears on the screen to save it to your calendar. Email Hanna Snyder at coordinator@vtaac.org with questions.

P.S. Kim Daly, MD, Regional Medical Director, Merck Vaccines, will be presenting this fall on "Why Age 9". We have not yet set a date but will be sharing that soon. We want to especially reach providers and all clinicians with this opportunity, so pease share widely and reach out to Hanna if interested in attending.

Vermont Department of Health Update

A second 2025 Vermont Cancer Plan Status Report has been published to track and share progress on measurable objectives. The report shows that 36% of the Cancer Plan’s targets have been met in areas related to overall cancer mortality rate, cost barriers to care, food insecurity, use of tobacco products among youth and adults, physical activity among youth, completion of HPV vaccines, use of CRC screenings, advanced directives registrations and use of hospice. 

While most objectives are trending in the right direction, about 28% have worsened including those related to smoking quit attempts, fruit and vegetable intake among youth, adults and specifically adult cancer survivors, use of tobacco products among cancer survivors, sunburns among youth, breast and cervical cancer screening, incidence rates of advanced-stage HPV, breast and cervical cancers, and prostate cancer mortality rates.

Since access to some data sources lag by a few years, some of these measures may still be affected by lifestyle changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We will have discussions about these measures in many of our upcoming coalition meetings.

National Lung Cancer Screening Day

National Lung Cancer Screening Day (NLCSD) is Saturday, November 9, 2024! This is the third annual NLCSD to raise awareness about lung cancer screening and to reduce access barriers by hosting a screening day on a Saturday.

So far, we have three VTAAC partners participating in this day: Northwestern Vermont Medical Center, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, and UVM Medical Center. Dartmouth Cancer Center will also have Saturday clinics available.

To receive NLCSD promotional social media posters and flyers - or to register your own screening clinic - visit their website. Email coordinator@vtaac.org with questions.

ICYMI: With support from the Quality of Life Taskforce, VTAAC created a Survivorship Resource Center on VTAAC's website. This new page is meant to be a resource for all those impacted by cancer. Share widely!

Organizations looking to be included must be:

• A cancer-specific resource/organization
• Vermont-focused (some national organizations may included if they have VT resources) 
• No events (except under limited circumstances if events are Vermont-specific, free and open to the public) 
• The VTAAC Executive Committee gives final approval for organizations included in the Resource Center.

Please fill out the Organization Submission Form to be included in the Resource Center.

To learn more about current projects for all of the VTAAC taskforces, check out the latest Coalition Activities Update.

Email Hanna at coordinator@vtaac.org to get involved.

The Vermont Department of Health created an interactive map to highlight the many free sunscreen locations across the state. The state parks that offer free sunscreen dispensers were recently included on the page. Please note: some dispensers may only be available during the summer months.

This program was in collaboration with IMPACT Melanoma, UVM Cancer Center, Dartmouth Cancer Center and VTAAC.

Even though we are heading into colder weather, sunscreen is still very important in the winter as a key cancer prevention measure. Snow reflects up to 80% of the sun's UV rays back at you. Cover up, wear broad spectrum 30+ sunscreen on exposed skin and protect your eyes with sunglasses.

Women’s Health and Cancer Conference

Friday, September 20

The University of Vermont (UVM) Cancer Center is proud to host the 27th annual Women’s Health and Cancer Conference. Join us on Friday, September 20 online as we explore the "Oncology and the Environment". The conference is free and open to the public. In person registration is full, but virtual spots remain open! Learn more and register at: https://go.uvm.edu/whcc24.

Preventing HPV-Associated Cancers by Vaccination and Screening

Friday, September 27

Dr. Douglas Lowy, the Principal Deputy Director of the National Cancer Institute, who developed the HPV vaccine, will present an NNE-CTR Seminar at noon on Friday, September 27, 2024, to provide an update on developments with the HPV vaccine, HPV vaccination, and impact of HPV vaccination on cervical cancer. 

Contact Sheila Clifford-Bova, NNE-CTR Program Manager, with questions at sheila.clifford-bova@med.uvm.edu. Click the button below to save the meeting to your calendar. After clicking on the button below, click the "Download" button that appears on the screen to save it to your calendar. 

Childhood Cancer*

Gynecological Cancer*

Leukemia

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Hodgkin Lymphoma 

Ovarian Cancer*

Prostate Cancer*

Thyroid Cancer 

Breast Cancer*

Liver Cancer*

Lung Cancer*

Pancreatic Cancer

Stomach Cancer

Carcinoid Cancer