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Kansas
Kansas Launches Comprehensive Plan to Reduce Cancer
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Governor Kathleen Sebelius and state health officials unveiled the Kansas
Comprehensive Cancer Control and Prevention Plan on
March 24, 2005. The plan was developed by the Kansas Cancer Partnership, a
statewide coalition of organizations from the public and private sectors. Cancer
is the second leading cause of death in the state. Each year nearly 12,000
cancer cases are diagnosed in Kansas and about 5,000 residents die of the
disease.
"The effort put forth by the Kansas Cancer Partnership has been
tremendous, and we are pleased to have a comprehensive plan which guides the
actions needed to begin reducing the incidence of cancer in our state," said
Governor Sebelius. "In addition, Kansas is already taking action to address
issues such as obesity, physical
inactivity, and tobacco use, which contribute to cancer. Our work in these areas
complements
this plan."
"Cancer prevention and control is a critical step in achieving the
goal of healthy Kansans by 2010 and beyond," said Kansas Department of Health
and Environment (KDHE) Secretary Roderick L. Bremby. "This plan provides clear
guidance for ways to reduce cancer in Kansas while recognizing health
disparities related to differences in age, sex, socioeconomic [status], race,
ethnicity, and geography."
The plan calls for the following actions:
- Increasing education, information, and communication
about cancer prevention and screening.
- Improving access to treatment and
coordinated
services among patients with newly diagnosed cancers.
- Informing policy makers
and legislators about issues relating to health insurance for poor and uninsured
Kansans, coverage for medical advocacy services, and coverage for participation
in clinical trials.
- Improving data collection and access to data to help target cancer
prevention and screening efforts.
- Establishing community-based pilot projects
that focus on 1) education and information, 2) surveillance and data collection,
3) identification
of resources, and 4) risk reduction factors.
"The Kansas Cancer Partnership's
diligent work in developing this plan demonstrates the strong network of Kansas
organizations and individuals
whose goals are the same�to reduce the incidence of cancer in Kansas," said
Howard Rodenberg, M.D., M.P.H., director of KDHE's Division of Health. "It is
very likely that every Kansan will be impacted by cancer at some point in life,
whether individually, or through the diagnosis given to a family member, friend,
or acquaintance. That's why this plan is critical to each of us today as we look
at ways to reduce the impact of this disease through education, prevention, and
screening; [by] providing accessible,
affordable health care and support networks;
and [by] targeting our efforts based on improved data and pilot projects."
The
plan focuses on six priority cancers and identifies approaches to addressing the
burden of cancer. These approaches include preventing some cancers from
occurring; screening to detect
cancer at its earliest stages; treating cancer with comprehensive, high-quality
medical care; and addressing survivorship and end-of-life issues
faced by cancer patients.
Gary Doolittle, M.D., associate professor, University
of Kansas Medical Center, chairs the Kansas Cancer Partnership. He commented
that, "The Kansas Cancer Partnership has done an excellent job [in] creating
this cancer control plan for the state. The challenge is maintaining the
momentum by putting the plan into action. Kansas has many assets and resources
on which to build, but we also have many barriers to overcome. These barriers
include unequal access to cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment among
various ethnic groups and among members of different socioeconomic classes, and
an insufficient number of trained oncologists in the state of Kansas. However,
we cannot let these barriers stand in the way of achieving our goal."
Since the
plan was released, the Kansas Cancer
Partnership has grown from approximately 65 members to nearly 100 members as new
organizations have joined to participate in implementing the plan. Seven work
groups have begun implementation activities focused, respectively, on public
education, professional education, policy issues, patient navigation and
advocacy, research and data, access to care, and survivorship and end-of-life issues.
A copy of the Kansas Comprehensive Cancer Control and Prevention Plan is
available at Early Detection Works.*
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Contact Information
Kansas Comprehensive Cancer Control and Prevention Program
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
1000 SW Jackson, Suite 230
Topeka,
KS 66612
(785) 296-1228
(785) 296-5868
Fax: (785) 368-7287
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