Sun Safety   

 "Officials praise new Nashua cancer center," Nashua Telegraph, 6/23/12 

"Officials discuss need for more cancer research funding, The Union Leader, 6/22/12

NH CCC partner, Deb Girard, Executive Director of the Melanoma Foundation New England (MFNE) is featured in a national interview with CNN's Headline News about the successful Your Skin Is In program. You can view the interview here: https://vimeo.com/42796767.

The NH CCC's Sun Safety Committee works with MFNE to support the Your Skin Is In program in NH. This year, 11 high schools participated in the program to increase awareness about the dangers of tanning. 

Save the Date! 

The NH CCC Annual Conference 

will be held on 

March 20, 2013 

at the Grappone Conference Center/ Courtyard by Marriott 

in Concord, NH

Click Here

To Become a Member of the NH CCC  

Join Our List

The Weight of the Nation is also a documentary series and public health campaign. Three years in the making, The Weight of the Nation documentary includes four feature films that take a look at the severity of the obesity epidemic and its impact on our health care system. The films can be viewed at theweightofthenation.hbo.com.  

The conference and the documentary bring to the forefront the importance of creating environments that support healthy choices for people where we live, learn, work, and play.

Both healthy eating and physical activity have implications for cancer control, prevention, and survivorship. Studies show that adopting a lifestyle that includes healthy eating and regular physical activity can help prevent certain cancers and other chronic diseases associated with obesity. Being physically active also plays an important role in quality of life for survivors and has been shown to improve treatment recovery time.

Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) NH has worked with partners like the NH Comprehensive Cancer Collaboration (NH CCC) in communities throughout New Hampshire to create environments and implement programs that make healthy choices the easy choices for all residents. For more information about HEAL campaigns in your area go to: www.healnh.org. For more information about The Weight of the Nation Conference, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/WeightoftheNation/.

Terry Johnson, Director 

HEAL NH

We invite you to visit our redesigned website (www.NHCancerPlan.org) and let us know what you think. We hope you will find it easier to navigate and that visitors not familiar with the Collaboration's work will quickly be able to learn about our organization and the activities of our workgroups. In addition, each month the updated website will feature one or two of our

The homepage also features the latest cancer-related news, including emerging issues in cancer from the National Cancer Institute and smoking and tobacco use prevention information from the CDC.

The New Hampshire Colorectal Cancer Screening Program (NHCRCSP), through funding from the New Hampshire Comprehensive Cancer Collaboration (NH CCC), recently worked with the Community Health Institute to conduct audience testing of resources to identify messages and images that might influence New Hampshire

One of the favorite images of the focus groups that will be available on the new posters/flyers

residents 65 and older to get colorectal cancer screenings.  

New Hampshire Cancer Registry data had shown that a large percentage of late stage colorectal cancer was being diagnosed in the 65 and older group. The focus groups consisted of 39 participants in 4 focus groups: 2 in Hillsborough County and 2 in Rockingham County. Counties were chosen based on data from New Hampshire's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey as having low screening rates. Most participants were female (92.3%), 40% held at least a high school diploma or GED, 53.8% were between the ages of 65 and 75, and 38.5% were over 75.  

Participants indicated that they rely on their doctor to recommend screenings and assume it is not necessary if the doctor does not promote the test. Participants were given 8 messages and 8 images to rate with regard to general appeal and motivation. Images that emphasized relationships and familiar connectedness resonated with the group.  

Participants did not like the use of the word "provider" but instead preferred messages that used "doctor". In addition, participants discussed the lack of coordination among specialists and that different specialists tell them different recommendations for colorectal cancer screening. One participant said, "It is so confusing. I have one doctor telling me to get tested, another telling me that it's my choice, and a third that never even mentions it. What am I supposed to make of that?" Regarding which logo or organization name should be on the poster, the number one choice was to include that of their doctor. Suggestions for locations for posters were senior centers, apartment buildings, supermarkets, and pharmacies.
Organizations will be able to customize products by adding their logo and name to the messaging materials. Limited funding to print the materials is also available. Please contact Gail Sullivan at Gail.M.Sullivan@hitchcock.org for more information. 

Joanne K. Gersten, RN, MS  

Program Director 

Colorectal Cancer Screening Program 

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Lebanon

New Hampshire Comprehensive Cancer Collaboration Public Policy Education Committee Has Been Active!

The Public Policy Education Committee (PPEC) followed several bills this legislative session.    

We are pleased to report that HB 1642 relative to destination/specialty hospitals was never acted upon by the State Senate and died at the end of the legislative session. The PPEC submitted testimony in opposition to this bill based on the exemption to treat Medicaid patients and the bypass of the Certificate of Need (CON) process. The issue of Access to Care for ALL NH residents is consistent with our Cancer Plan and the State Senate in the end agreed with our position and allowed the bill to die. 

Another bill of importance this session was HB 1617
which would have repealed the Certificate of Need board. The PPEC was concerned that 30 plus years of experience would be discarded and that consumers would be left potentially with higher medical costs. The PPEC encouraged lawmakers to work towards strengthening the CON process. The House and Senate in the end agreed to a three-year study of the issue at which time, if a legislative fix is not suggested, the CON board will be dissolved. 

For more information about NH CCC go to our website 
www.nhcancerplan.org or email info@nhcancerplan.org