Pennsylvania
State Health Department Focuses on Three Priorities from the Cancer Control Plan
On this page
Public Health Problem
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Pennsylvania. Over the last 10 years, the number
of people with newly diagnosed cancers has risen significantly. Although progress has been made in reducing the number of people who die of cancer each year, the death rate is still higher in Pennsylvania than for the United States as a whole. In addition, there is a marked disparity between the death rates for African Americans and whites in the state. More people are living
with cancer and coping with the effects of cancer treatment; however, resuming normal routines remains a significant challenge for a growing number of cancer survivors and their families in Pennsylvania.
Top of Page
Program Example
The Pennsylvania Department of Health (the department) allocated resources
this year to address the following three major goals contained in the
Pennsylvania Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan: 1) increase screening in
minority populations; 2) improve the quality of care of cancer patients
throughout the cancer experience; and 3) improve the quality of life for both
cancer patients and their caregivers. Over the long term, progress toward these
goals can decrease cancer incidence rates and cancer death rates.
African-American men are more likely to get prostate cancer and to die of it.
The department has responded to this significant health disparity with a new
grant program. The Cancer Prevention and Control Section partnered with the
Cardiovascular Health Program and funded a grant that addresses both prostate
cancer education and stroke education to increase screening in minority
populations. The department awarded two grants, beginning in January 2005, to
Pennsylvania-based institutions to promote evidence-based prostate cancer
education and stroke education among a minimum of 5,000 African-American men
aged 35 years or older. The selected urban areas of Philadelphia and Allegheny
County lead the state in both prostate cancer mortality and cerebrovascular disease
mortality among African-American males. Through these projects, the department
will identify barriers to patient education and effective strategies to improve
compliance that will reduce stroke and prostate cancer incidence and mortality
in the target populations.
Every Pennsylvanian must have access to high-quality, compassionate health
care that uses the latest screening recommendations, treatment options, and
survivorship resources. The second cancer plan goal that the department is
funding deals with access to cancer treatment services and barriers to care. The
department is pursuing this goal by supporting the development of a model
patient navigator system. The Navigating Pennsylvania Cancer Patients (NPCP)
Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center will provide the infrastructure, program
development, and research expertise needed to develop a theory-guided navigator
intervention program that is based on current best practices. The long-term goal
for the model patient navigator system will be wider dissemination throughout
Pennsylvania.
The third cancer control priority that is being addressed by the department
concerns the quality of life experienced by cancer patients and caregivers.
This priority is being pursued through support for the expansion and use of
quality-of-life assessments. The University of Pennsylvania is utilizing the
City of Hope Quality-of-Life Scale to survey and evaluate the psychosocial needs
of cancer patients and their caregivers across all stages of cancer and all care
settings. This project will provide information on how to promote attainment of
the highest levels of daily functioning among cancer patients and
caregivers�from diagnosis through survivorship.
Top of Page
Implication and Impact
The department is making progress in implementing
the Pennsylvania Comprehensive Cancer
Control Plan. The plan is the blueprint for advancing
cancer control in the state. Pennsylvania is committed to integrating expertise, increasing coordination, enhancing collaboration, reducing duplication, and pursuing prevention and control opportunities in order to continue the progress being made in implementing the plan.
Top of Page
Contact Information
Cancer Prevention and Control Programs*
Cancer Prevention and Control Section
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Room 1011
PO Box 90
Harrisburg,
PA 17108
(717) 787-5251
Fax: (717) 772-0608
Top of Page
*Links to non-federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a
service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their
programs by CDC or the federal government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible
for the content of the individual organization's Web pages found at these links.
|
