|
|
Vermonters Taking Action Against Cancer | VTAAC
66th 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 current 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.
| |
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month! | |
Colorectal Cancer Awareness
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. With regular screening, almost all colorectal cancer can be prevented. If you are 45 or older, please talk to your doctor about screening options. There are ways to lower your risk.
Key Facts about Colorectal Cancer (from the American Cancer Society):
- Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in the United States.
- More than 151,000 people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2022.
- More than 52,500 people died of colorectal cancer in 2022.
- Increasing the population rate of screening to 80% or greater would prevent tens of thousands of additional new cases of colorectal cancer and colorectal cancer deaths.
- Overall, colorectal cancer deaths are on the decline, but have been increasing in people younger than age 55 since the mid-2000’s.
For a list of colorectal cancer screening resources, please visit www.vtaac.org/crc.
| | | |
Colorectal Cancer Taskforce | |
The Colorectal Cancer Taskforce was formed in February with Kristina Kiarsis, Colorectal Cancer Screening Program, Vermont Department of Health and Andrew Lee, Exact Sciences as co-chairs. Members came together to launch a coordinated communications campaign for March, which is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
Taskforce members created a list of colorectal cancer screening resources for the public, alongside communication toolkits for organizations to use in their own campaigns. To view a list of these resources, visit www.vtaac.org/crc.
The next Colorectal Cancer Taskforce meeting is Wednesday, April 12 at 2 pm. If you'd like to learn more or join, please email Hanna at coordinator@vtaac.org.
| |
|
The Sun Safety Taskforce will be launching in March. Lisa Purvis, Director, Community Outreach and Engagement, Dartmouth Cancer Center is co-chairing alongside Sharon Mallory, Director, Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, Vermont Department of Health. The co-chairs are currently working to invite key stakeholders and to schedule the first meeting. Stay tuned for more updates!
If you'd like to learn more or join, please email Hanna at coordinator@vtaac.org.
| |
Colorectal Cancer Screening Project Highlight | |
|
Colorectal Cancer Screening Project with SVMC
Over the past three years, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) worked with VTAAC, American Cancer Society (ACS), Dartmouth Health (DH), and the Vermont Department of Health on a three-year ACS Health Systems Capacity Building (HSCB) initiative to improve colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates in five of their primary care practices.
ACS’s HSCB initiative tasked the group to increase CRC screening rates by pooling resources, connections, and expertise to complete evidence based interventions.
A few project highlights:
- VTAAC helped connect SVMC with University of Vermont (UVM) Masters of Public Health students to create a survey to assess providers’ perception of barriers to CRC screening. This informed the group's evidence based interventions for this initiative.
- One of the biggest barriers to the project was lack of access to CRC screening data related to SVMC’s electronic medical records system. With the help of ACS and DH, SVMC was able to forge a relationship with Exact Sciences, giving them reportable data around Cologuard, an at-home colon cancer screening test, to add to the colonoscopy data. This gave a more thorough view of CRC screenings SVMC completed.
- Having reliable, re-creatable data will help the group complete process mapping in each of the five sites to identify best CRC screening ordering practices, as well as to standardize ordering, resulting and reporting across all sites. This work will continue past the end of the project (summer 2023).
|  | |
|
SVMC’s endoscopy team has always put great effort into celebrating CRC awareness month (March) and educating the community. This year they would like to outreach to local businesses to support their health and wellness programs by including CRC screening education. They plan to create a video introducing patients to the Endoscopy Unit and dispelling myths about colonoscopies. SVMC was also able to purchase an inflatable colon educational display to bring to community events and share with local partners to raise awareness (seen above).
This collaborative group is very pleased to share that SVMC’s CRC screening rates went from a baseline of 37% in 2019 to 43% in 2022 for a 6% increase over the course of the project! ACS identified SVMC as a top performer among those who received this grant across the country. A huge congratulations to this team for their incredible work!
To learn more about this project, please reach out to Rebecca Hewson-Steller at Rebecca.HewsonSteller@svhealthcare.org.
| |
Vermont Department of Health Data Update | |
|
Cancer Survivorship
Approximately 7% of Vermonters (39,000) have been diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2021). Skin cancer is by far the most prevalent cancer, with 49% of survivors having skin cancer as their most recently diagnosed cancer. Excluding basal and squamous cell skin cancers, the most common cancer among males is melanoma (29%), followed by male reproductive cancers (26%). Females are most likely to have been diagnosed with breast cancer (29%), followed by female reproductive cancer (19%).
Prevalence of Leading Cancer Types, Males | Prevalence of Leading Cancer Types, Females
| |
About 13% of survivors report having current pain caused by cancer or cancer treatment, and among survivors with pain, about 46% report that their pain is not under control either with or without medication (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2020). | |
|
2023 Vermont Cancer Data Pages
The complete version of the 2023 Vermont Cancer Data Pages is now available. This document explores the burden of cancer on Vermonters throughout the cancer continuum. In alignment with the 2025 Vermont Cancer Plan, it shows how health outcomes differ among four populations of focus.
| |
VTAAC Activities Update and Meeting Schedule | |
|
There is a lot of great work happening in VTAAC's workgroups, taskforces and committees!
Health Equity Committee: Activities work to ensure that all Vermonters have a fair and just opportunity to be healthy.
Next Meeting: TBD
Prevention & Detection Workgroup: Activities focus on preventing cancer from occurring or recurring and detecting cancer at its earliest stages.
Next Meeting: Thursday, June 8 at 10 AM
Quality of Life Workgroup: Activities focus on treating cancer with appropriate, quality care and ensuring the highest quality of life possible for cancer survivors. Next Meeting: Friday, May 19 at 9 AM
Lung Cancer Screening Taskforce: Activities focus on increasing early detection of lung cancer in Vermonters. Next Meeting: Thursday, April 6 at 12 PM
Colorectal Canter Taskforce: Activities focus on increasing early detection of colorectal cancer in Vermonters. Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 12 at 2 PM
HPV Taskforce: Activities focus on preventing Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections in young Vermonters. Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 15 at 11 AM
To learn more about these groups, and other projects, please review the VTAAC Activities Update document.
If you're interested in getting involved in any of these groups, please email Hanna at coordinator@vtaac.org.
| |
LGBTQIA+ Health Summit
April 22, 2023
Pride Center of Vermont, in partnership with Out in the Open and Outright Vermont, is hosting an LGBTQIA+ Health Summit at the Vermont Technical College in Randolph on Saturday, April 22, 2023. This Summit will bring together key people who have a stake in LGBTQIA+ just and inclusive healthcare: providers from around the state who want to share skills and learn from leaders in their respective fields, LGBTQIA+ providers who want to resource themselves and their colleagues, and LGBTQIA+ adults from around the state impacted by the healthcare system who want to share their knowledge, experiences, skills, and learning.
The goal for the LGBTQIA+ Health Summit is to provide opportunities to nourish our LGBTQIA+ community, as well as connect with leading providers across the state who enhance the health access and justice of our communities. Look for information on registering to participate later this month.
For more information, please email: summit@pridecentervt.org.
| |
Voices and Choices Conference
April 25-26, 2023
This is one of the largest national conferences by and for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities hosted by Green Mountain Self Advocates. This conference will be held in-person for the first time in four years! The theme is Self-Advocacy - Together We Stand. Friends helping friends to grow self-advocacy and create new connections. Respect is a cornerstone for true friendship.
The conference will be held in Burlington at the DoubleTree by Hilton.
| |
|
Integrative Pain Management Conference
May 5, 2023
Presented by The Osher Center for Integrative Health, this conference is designed to meet the needs of an interdisciplinary healthcare community. Participants will learn about integrative therapies, share best practices, current research, and policy, along with innovations in integrative approaches for chronic pain management.
This conference will take place at UVM Davis Center on May 5, 2023 from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM ET. This conference will also be live streamed.
Register by April 1st to get Early Bird Pricing!
| |
|
FREE Retreat for Vermont Women with Breast Cancer
NH: June 2-3, 2023
VT: September 15-17, 2023
Casting for Recovery (CfR) is a national non-profit providing FREE outdoor retreats for women of any age and any stage of breast cancer treatment or recovery. CfR’s unique program combines breast cancer education and peer support with instruction in the sport of fly fishing! Fourteen women are randomly selected to attend each retreat. All meals, lodging, equipment and resources will be provided at NO COST to the participants.
The retreats offer opportunities for women to find inspiration, discover renewed energy for life and experience healing connections with other women and nature. Why fly fishing? The gentle, rhythmic motion of fly casting can be good therapy for the upper body for women who have had surgery or radiation as part of their breast cancer treatment. No fishing experience is needed to participate in or benefit from the CfR program.
Vermont women are eligible to apply to either the New Hampshire retreat - held June 2-4, 2023 at Barbara C. Harris Center in Greenfield, NH or the Vermont retreat - held September 15-17, 2023 at Black Bear Lodge in Stratton, Vermont. Deadline to apply for the NH retreat is March 23 and July 6 for the VT retreat. For more information or to apply, visit: https://castingforrecovery.org/retreats/.
| |
|
Women's Health and Cancer Conference
September 29, 2023
Save the date for the 26th annual Women's Health and Cancer Conference. A free, hybrid, educational event aimed at empowering and supporting individuals and communities with knowledge about cancer prevention, detection, treatment and survivorship. More details about registration and accreditation will be available this spring.
| |
Upcoming Cancer Awareness Months | | | | |
