Working with Comprehensive Cancer Programs – 8/18/05

Q: How are other state tobacco programs are interacting with their comprehensive cancer programs?

A:

1. Alabama: The Program Manager serves as the Prevention Committee Chair and a Steering Committee member on the Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition. An Area Tobacco Control Coordinator serves as the Tobacco Subcommittee Chair under the Prevention Committee. The Tobacco and Comp Cancer Programs communicate on at least a biweekly basis.
    
2. Connecticut: The tobacco program has been represented at the "steering committee" table throughout the planning process. We also participated in one of the original planning groups that focused on prevention. Now that the comp. cancer initiative has a more independent identity, with a Board of Directors, members of the tobacco program are participating in various action teams, one for tobacco specifically, one for surveillance & evaluation, and one addressing disparities. Two active tobacco advocates (an MD and an academician who is also part of C-Change) are members of the Board, so our interests are being represented at that level, also.
    
3. Delaware: We are both located in the same section, so there is quite a bit of interaction that is hard to put in a document. Please have them contact Fred Gatto for additional information.
    
4. Michigan: Here are some details on our collaboration with our comp cancer program:

• The Michigan Cancer Consortium's Strategic Plan includes a tobacco priority that was developed with the tobacco program input and consultation. It focuses on two cessation goals for adults and youth, fashioned after the Healthy People 2010 goals, and including objectives and strategies appropriate and feasible for the MCC membership.
• TC staff sit on the MCC Advocacy committee.
• We are forming a lung cancer discussion with comp cancer staff to discuss research, materials, media and potential MCC collaboration on lung cancer.
• With support from the WISEWOMAN program, the TC staff provided guidance in developing three regional teleconference trainings to enhance provider support, intervention (5A's), update on NRT dosing, and cultural sensitivity regarding cessation for the WISEWOMAN population. They are scheduled for August and September 2005.
• We have participated in the interim update and overview of a pilot program, Improving Cancer Outcomes of African Americans in Michigan initiative. In November, the tobacco program will develop and facilitate a break-out session directed at providers regarding the importance of the 5A's and providing resource information about cessation options in the community.

5. Minnesota: In Minnesota, we only have the Comprehensive Cancer planning grant. We have been involved in the planning of the Prevention workgroup, specifically the Tobacco subgroup. We, along w/ many other internal and external stakeholders, made recommendations on measurable objectives, strategies, and action plans over several planning meetings. We are now in the beginning stage of exploring ways that we can collaborate into the future (for example, on trainings sponsored by our organization).
    
6. Nebraska: The Tobacco Free Nebraska (TFN) Program has been an active participant in the Nebraska C.A.R.E.S - Comprehensive Cancer Control Program - since its inception. TFN serves on the core committee and the advisory committee. TFN staff have participated in the quarterly meetings and provided input on the formation of bylaws and structure of Nebraska C.A.R.E.S. TFN is represented on the Tobacco Control Work. Nebraska CARES staff are also members of the TFN State Coalition, attending quarterly meetings, and providing updates to the coalition and involvement in the annual TFN State Conference.
    
7. Ohio: In Ohio, the Program Manager of the Tobacco program sits on a "virtual" comprehensive cancer committee that meets every Tuesday morning for an hour. Other members of the committee besides that comp cancer program and the Breast and Cervical Cancer program are our state cancer registery, the stats folks from the Division of Prevsention, a staff person from our environmental health program, someone from our radiation protection section, and someone from the Ohio EPA. We also have an ACS staff person who is a liaision and assigned to our cancer program, so she attends as well. Our health department has a memorandum of understanding with the ACS and many things are done jointly include the annual Ohio Cancer Fact and Figures. Every quarter we open the meeting up to all interested staff of the various programs on the committee to hear reports of interest from two or three programs. Also quarterly, there is a joint meeting with some ACS staff.
    
   The Proram Manager is also a member of the Prevention Committee for our state cancer strategic plan. There are also some things that we have done jointly such as co-fund a worksite wellness survey along with our CVH program. The cancer program has developed contacts at each local health department and will send e-mails and hard copies of things to this contact list. This month they sent out flyers that can be copied and sent to health care providers about the quitline and my version of 3 As and R. I've added the Advise A to the Ask, Advise and Refer idea.
    
8. Nevada: For the last two years I have been both the tobacco and comp cancer program manager. I am in the process of submitting the paperwork to hire a full time comp cancer coordinator, but that position will still be a part of the chronic disease section so interaction and integration will continue.
    
9. New Jersey: NJ has been utilizing the connections between the Comprehensive Cancer Programs in the 21 counties and the Communities Against Tobacco (CAT) s. A major emphasis of the lung cancer work group has been the prevention and cessation of tobacco use. As more information becomes available regarding the improvement in outcomes, even when cessation takes place several weeks before the procedure. This is important information for the oncology community
    
   At our next management meeting of all of the workgroups, we are distributing the appropriate cancer sections of the Surgeon General's report on the health effects of smoking to the individual cancer workgroups.
    
   The cessation area has been part of the lung cancer workgroup since its' foundation. The interaction of the local county cancer groups and the CATs is reasonably recent and is about one year old.
    
10. North Dakota: The Tobacco Program is represented on three of the committees for the development of the state comp cancer plan.
     
11. South Carolina: We have a strong relationship with our comprehensive cancer program. Here are some of the details:

• Both comprehensive cancer and tobacco prevention and control programs are located in the same chronic disease bureau and management from each program meet routinely.
• The state cancer plan and the state tobacco plan are coordinated, using the same objectives for tobacco prevention and control and members from the SC Tobacco Collaborative (state tobacco coalition) and the agency tobacco prevention and control program staff are active in the SC Cancer Alliance, the statewide cancer coalition. Additionally, the SC Cancer Alliance is a member of the SC Tobacco Collaborative.
• The tobacco prevention and control program and the comprehensive cancer program are co-participants in a special project with the SC Chapter of the American Women's Medical Association, to send medical students into physicians' offices to monitor and limit the use of waiting room magazines which contain tobacco advertising. Students review magazines and meet with office staff and physicians to educate them about tobacco advertising.
• The SC Cancer Alliance policy and advocacy task force members have actively supported the tobacco prevention and control program and State Department of Education's efforts to collect weighted Youth Tobacco Survey (YTS) and Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data.
• The SC Cancer Alliance prevention task force members have actively participated in efforts to advocate for smoke free ordinances in Columbia and Charleston, two of SC's largest cities.
• The SC Cancer Alliance has participated as a full partner with Department of Health and Environmental Control, American Cancer Society, the SC Tobacco Collaborative, and other partners to advocate for a tax increase on cigarettes and on tougher laws limiting tobacco sales to minors.

12. Utah: The Utah TPCP is an active member of Utah's Cancer Action Network (UCAN)--the state's coalition addressing comp cancer. We partner on events, as appropriate, partcipate in comp cancer strategic planning efforts, and work with clinicians involved in cancer screening to refer tobacco user to quitting services.
     
13. Wyoming: The Wyoming Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan will include a section related to tobacco. Kim Rogers can send a copy of the draft plan.
     
    Also, there is a close partnership with the state's Breast and Cervical Cancer program which will provide information about the state's various cessation services to clients.
     
    Wyoming has a well funded comprehensive tobacco prevention and control program, and expanding efforts to support other programs is a good partnership.

Back to Table of Contents