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While all people and cancers are important, the OCCN currently focus efforts toward four priority sites; breast, cervical, colorectal and lung. The OCCN offers its members the opportunity to work within smaller workgroup settings to implement the initiatives and strategies of the Oklahoma State Cancer Plan.

There are currently four workgroups responsible for the development and implementation of evidence-based interventions designed to reduce the burden of these four cancers in our state. Each workgroup also concentrates on evidence-based risk reduction strategies (smoking cessation, HPV vaccination, physical activity and nutrition) and crosscutting techniques (communications, genomics, health disparities, patient-centered care, policy, survivorship, technology, surveillance and epidemiology).  

Objective: Increase breast cancer screening among females, ages 40-64, by 5% according to the most recent guidelines.

Strategies

  • Promote access to screening by reducing structural barriers (e.g., transportation assistance, flexible clinic hours for screening services, alternative screening sites [like mobile mammography vans], scheduling assistance and translation services).
  • Develop and disseminate marketing and communication about the importance of screening with consistent messaging across OCCN partners and their networks.
  • Provide education for patient, providers and the public on breast cancer screenings according to the most recent USPSTF guidelines.

Cervical Cancer

Objective: Increase cervical cancer screenings among females, ages 21-64 years, by 5% according to the most recent guidelines.

Strategies

  • Promote access to screening by reducing structural barriers (e.g. transportation assistance, flexible clinic hours for screening services, alternative screening sites [like mobile units], scheduling assistance and translation services).
  • Implement system changes to increase diagnostic follow-up and treatment to prevent late-stage diagnosis.
  • Develop and disseminate marketing and communication about the importance of screening with consistent messaging across OCCN partners and their networks.
  • Provide education for patients, providers and the public on cervical cancer screenings according to the most recent USPSTF guidelines.

HPV Immunizations

Objective: Increase cervical cancer screenings among females, ages 21-64 years, by 5% according to the most recent guidelines.

Strategies

  • Promote access to screening by reducing structural barriers (e.g. transportation assistance, flexible clinic hours for screening services, alternative screening sites [like mobile units], scheduling assistance and translation services).
  • Implement system changes to increase diagnostic follow-up and treatment to prevent late-stage diagnosis.
  • Develop and disseminate marketing and communication about the importance of screening with consistent messaging across OCCN partners and their networks.
  • Provide education for patients, providers and the public on cervical cancer screenings according to the most recent USPSTF guidelines.

Objective: Increase colorectal cancer screening among adults, ages 45-49 years, by 8% based on the most recent guidelines.

Objective: Increase colorectal cancer screening among adults, ages 50-75 years, by 5% based on the most recent guidelines.

Strategies

  • Increase community awareness, demand and access to colorectal screening and treatment by reducing structural barriers.
  • Provide education for patients, providers and the public on colorectal cancer screenings according to the most recent USPSTF guidelines.
  • Implement system changes to increase diagnostic follow-up and treatment to prevent late-stage diagnosis.

Lung Cancer

Objective: Increase lung cancer screening among adults, ages 50-80 years, by 3% based on the most recent guidelines.

Strategies

  • Promote the importance of lung cancer screening; empower those who qualify for lung cancer screenings to make informed decisions.
  • Provide education for patients, providers and the public on lung cancer screenings according to the most recent USPSTF guidelines.
  • Promote interventions  designed to assist with recognizing the signs and symptoms of lung cancer.

Tobacco Cessation

Objective: Decrease commercial tobacco cigarette use among youth, in grades 9-12, by 55%.

Objective: Decrease commercial tobacco cigarette use among adults, ages 18 and older, by 14%.

Objective: Increase commercial tobacco smoke-free policies, in homes, by 3.7%.

Strategies

  • Educate the patient, provider and public on tobacco use/exposure as a controllable risk factor for tobacco-related cancers and other chronic diseases.
  • Support implementation of policies, environmental changes and messaging that promote tobacco-free settings to reduce the development of tobacco-related cancers.
  • Promote evidence-based lifestyle change programs designed to improve tobacco cessation attempts and/or outcomes to reduce the risk of developing tobacco-related cancers and other chronic diseases.

Objective: Increase prostate cancer screening among males, ages 50-80 years, by 5% based on the most recent guidelines.

Strategies

  • Promote the importance of prostate cancer screening.
  • Empower those who qualify for screening to make informed decisions.
  • Provide education for patients, providers and the public on prostate cancer according to the most recent available research.
  • Promote interventions designed to assist with recognizing the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer.

Objective: Increase the number of support programs/systems designed to recognize and meet the needs of childhood cancer survivors from 0 to 2.

Objective: Increase partnerships to assess burden, incidence, mortality and survival of childhood cancer survivors from 2 to 4.

Strategies

  • Identify new partners and implement strategies and resources to address needs of childhood cancer survivors.
  • Promote programs designed to improve the health and well-being of cancer survivors beginning at initial diagnosis.
  • Facilitate interventions designed to educate patients, providers and the public on survivorship needs and controllable risk factors that can negatively impact cancer survivorship.
  • Develop and disseminate key messaging to primary care providers on the transition from cancer care to primary care and long-term care needs of childhood cancer survivors transitioning into adult care.

Objective: Increase the number of days of excellent or good health among cancer survivors by 3%.

Objective: increase the number of support programs/systems designed to recognize and meet the needs of those impacted by cancer from 1 to 3.

Strategies

  • Promote lifestyle change programs designed to reduce the risk of developing secondary site and/or reoccurrence of cancers associated with poor nutrition, physical inactivity and tobacco use among cancer survivors.
  • Promote programs designed to improve the health and well-being of cancer survivors beginning at the initial diagnosis.
  • Facilitate interventions designed to educate patients, providers and the public on survivorship needs and controllable risk factors that can negatively impact cancer survivorship.
  • Develop and disseminate key messaging to primary care providers on the transition from cancer care to primary care and long-term care needs of cancer survivors. 

Objective: Increase the number of partnerships that focus on the prevention of obesity for children, ages 0-17 years, from 1 to 4.

Objective: Increase the number of programs/systems that support the prevention of obesity for children, ages 3-5 years from 1 to 3.

Strategies:

  • Promote campaigns and electronic applications designed to improve healthy eating and physical activity to reduce the risk of developing obesity-related cancers.
  • Support implementation of policies, environmental changes and messaging that promote healthy eating and physical activity to reduce the development of obesity-related cancers. 
  • Educate the patient, provider and the public on obesity as a controllable risk factor for cancer and other chronic diseases.
  • Promote evidence-based lifestyle change programs designed to improve healthy eating and physical activity to reduce the risk of developing obesity-related cancers. 
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