3 cheers for NOEP partners Carol Dallred

3 cheers for NOEP partners Carol Dallred and Joyce Dains! New article on prevention in Journal of Cancer Education. http://ow.ly/8YAne

The Cost of Cancer

You know cancer is expensive for everyone, but can you guess an actual dollar amount? The direct medical cost of cancer in Texas alone is more than $28 billion a year. Dr. Ray Perryman, President of The Perryman Group, presented an update on these figures at a recent meeting of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Oversight Committee. This figure represents an increase, up from $25.3 billion last year.

In a summary of the report, CPRIT states, “Investments in research, screening and related activities aimed at reducing the incidence and severity of cancer not only change lives but also generate important economic benefits. Such investments have the potential to both reduce the cost of cancer through improving outcomes and serve as a catalyst for business development in other related industries (such as biomedicine).” Download the full report HERE.

A September 2011 report in The Lancet Oncology discusses the “unsustainable rate of increase in expenditure on cancer within health-care systems”. Worldwide, the high cost of cancer is attributed in part to rising cancer rates in an aging population and advanced and expensive new cancer drugs and high-tech diagnosis methods. The question is whether experts, patients, insurers, policymakers, drug companies and the health industry can work together to lower costs without compromising care.

Ain’t Too Proud to Brag

Exciting stuff is happening in Texas in the fight against cancer. The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), as you may know, funds many of NOEP’s cancer education programs, but what else is in the works? How is CPRIT involved in improving quality of life for all Texans and supporting local Texas economies?

More than 100,000 Texans are diagnosed with cancer each year, and cancer costs the Texas economy $22 billion annually. CPRIT is helping Texans take on cancer by supporting research and funding prevention programs such as enhanced cancer screenings that could ultimately save on healthcare costs but also attract new biotech industries. CPRIT is reducing Texas cancer costs by funding new tools to diagnose and treat the disease in its early stages and helping ensure the latest cancer treatments are available to all by supporting community-based intervention programs. Through its investments in cancer research and prevention, CPRIT is not only impacting the health of millions of Texans but also injecting almost $1 billion annually into the state’s local economies, generating $435 million in state and local revenue and creating new jobs.

NOEP is proud to be a part of these efforts. Your continuing education on cancer prevention, detection, treatment and survivorship makes you a part, too. The educated nurse has an opportunity to reduce the impact of cancer throughout the continuum of care, promoting screening, delivering quality care at the bedside, through professional organizations, and as advocates with friends and family members. This work takes continued dedication and passion, and we see it every day in the nurses we meet. Now that’s something to brag about.

Meet two of our shining stars!

The NOEP staff is honored to work with two remarkable nursing professionals who were recently inducted as Fellows in the American Academy of Nursing. Both have been dedicated supporters of NOEP for over 20 years, and continue to guide our efforts as active members of our Steering Committee.

Debbie Volker, PhD, RN, AOCN, FAAN is an Associate Professor of Nursing at The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. Her research interests center on ethical dilemmas and decisions that adults with cancer, their families, and nurses experience within the context of terminal illness. Teaching interests include bioethics, theories of adult health nursing and qualitative research methods. Dr. Volker’s commitment to students extends to mentoring first-time undergraduate researchers. Prior to this current appointment, she served as Director of Nursing Education and an adjuvant clinical ethicist at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. 

 Mary Lou Adams, PhD, RN, CS, FNP, FAAN is an Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing at The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing, and the lead faculty for the Family Nurse Practitioner Tract. She has done considerable work in the area of health promotion and illness prevention for underserved and minority populations, including breast, cervical, and prostate cancer screening projects.  Dr. Adams developed a community-based model for enhancing outreach and breast cancer screening for underserved women which resulted in more than 8,000 African American women being screened over five years. For over 20 years, Dr. Adams has served on numerous community boards and health organizations at the state and national level.

Congratulations to both ladies for this well-deserved honor. We are lucky to know you!

Take That, Tobacco.

This Thursday marks the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, a nationally recognized day that rallies smokers to stop getting all smoky. These days, there are soooo many tools to help smokers quit successfully. It CAN be done. And the health benefits of cessation start within minutes of the last cigarette.  

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a nurse, other health professional or health educator. You know all too well why these awareness activities are muy importante. Help spread the word. Hang a flyer, set up an information table, or tweet about it. Your support is critical to those who want to quit. For strategies on counseling others to quit (or for help quitting yourself), check out NOEP’s free education slidecast on Tobacco Cessation. 

Tip: Quit for Yourself—And for Everyone You Care About
Try placing a picture of your partner, a special child in your life, or even your pet dog or cat in your wallet, on your nightstand, or wherever you will see it. It will help remind you of an important reason to quit and stay quit.

Semana Binacional de Salud (Binational Health Week)

Binational Health Week (BHW) is about working to improve the health and well-being of the underserved Latino population in the U.S. and Canada through a series of health promotion and health education activities that include workshops, insurance referrals, vaccinations and medical screenings.

Last year, BHW events took place in 40 U.S. States and 3 Canadian Provinces, and nearly 4,000 health activities took place, with a reach of over 700,000 people. That’s a long arm! Take a look at the calendar of activities happening now in more than 200 cities and towns.

Because Hispanic/Latino women have the highest cervical cancer incidence rate in the U.S., this is a topic addressed by BHW organizers. The disproportionate burden of cervical cancer in Hispanic/Latino women is primarily due to a lack of screening, which reflects a larger problem of unequal access to health care.

Reaching medically underserved groups requires culturally sensitive trained care providers who can help break down resistance to screening for cervical and other cancers. Every nurse can make a difference in the lives of Hispanic/Latino patients. Start now. Increase your knowledge of cervical cancer screening, detection and treatment with NOEP’s free online CE: Cervical Cancer: What the Nurse Needs to Know.

Who rocks? Oncology Nurse Navigators do!

After exhibiting at the Second Annual Navigation and Survivorship Conference in San Antonio, Tx on Sept. 16-18, NOEP has even more awe and respect for Oncology Nurse Navigators. What is a Nurse Navigator, you might ask?

A Nurse Navigator is an oncology-certified nurse who guides a patient and his/her family every step of the way through cancer diagnosis and treatment. That nurse helps schedule tests, works with the medical team to make sure they understand and are using the most current information, and assists the patient and family to understand the plan of care.

The Academy of Oncology Nurse Navigators (AONN), over 1,700 members strong, presented the conference. Their membership consists of Oncology Nurse Navigators, Patient Navigators, Oncology Nurses, Social Workers, Practice Managers, Patient Care Coordinators, Nursing Administrators, and others. Former NOEP Director Joni Watson, MSN, RN, OCN was one of the 250+ in attendance, and she snapped this picture of our busy booth!

With over 12 million cancer survivors alive today in the U.S., it’s easy to see the need for navigation programs and survivorship care. Oncology Nurse Navigators serve as strong patient advocates for those traveling the cancer journey. More and more hospitals are adding navigation programs because they clearly make a difference in patient care.