Nancy Freeman will be retiring on July 3, 2015, after many wonderful years in cancer control. She has served as Executive Director of the WI Cancer Council for 17 years, after beginning her career in program development and management with the American Cancer Society-Wisconsin Division. Prior to taking the position as Executive Director, Nancy served on the WI Cancer Council Executive Committee for many years, under the chairmanship of Dr. Paul P. Carbone. In her role with the WI Cancer Council, Nancy helped the WI Division of Public Health

Nancy Freeman (center) with immediate past WCC Chair Dr. Adedayo A. Onitilo (left) and current WCC Chair Dr. Lauren Kosinski (right)

successfully apply for a comprehensive cancer control planning grant, a major step in growing an extensive and

comprehensive effort to reduce the burden of cancer in Wisconsin. Under her guidance, the WI Cancer Council has grown from a group of about 25 organizations to a 130 member consortium of organizations from all over Wisconsin. She is very proud of her success in identifying and bringing a lot of terrific, talented and dedicated people into cancer control, either as volunteers or staff. Nancy is looking forward to traveling and trying out "new things" in her "new future".  

Please join the WI CCC Team in celebrating Nancy's career and wishing her the best in her new adventures. Her compassion for everything and everyone she encounters will most certainly be missed. 
 

Development of the Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Control (WI CCC) Plan 2015-2020 is in the home stretch! The WI Cancer Council Steering Committee is reviewing the final draft this month. After final edits are made, the plan will be sent to the printer and ready for distribution at the WI CCC Summit on May 28, 2015.

Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), also referred to as e-cigarettes, have become a hot topic both nationally and in Wisconsin. Articles and studies looking at how this relatively new product impacts health and youth are rapidly being released. The WI CCC Program is monitoring this issue as part of the WI Cancer Council's 2014-2015 policy priorities.

In mid-April, CDC released a study showing that e-cigarette use among middle and high schools student has tripled from 2013 to 2014. The use of ENDS by adolescents is of particular concern, and led the California Department of Health to recently release a media campaign called "Wake Up" that features two TV ads, Kids Aren't Alright and What Could Go Wrong, targeted to a younger audience about the dangers of e-cigarettes.  

To keep up on some emerging research, the Nicotine & Tobacco Research Oxford Journal has created a free collection of their published articles for other researchers, policy makers, clinicians, and members of the public to read.

In Wisconsin, several ENDs-related research and policy activities are also taking place. The UW-Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention is launching a five-year, $3.7 million study looking into the health effects of electronic cigarettes. The UW Population Health Institute's Evidence-Based Health Policy Project held a policy briefing on e-cigarettes on April 15 in the State Capitol. "E-Cigarettes: An Update on the Science" provided information on the latest research and national policies related to ENDS to Wisconsin legislators and their staff. The Wisconsin legislature has also taken up the issue with several bills looking to regulate the use of the ENDS in public spaces. Assembly bill 146/Senate bill 120 would change the definition in the statewide smoke-free air law to include ENDS, and Assembly bill 106 would regulate the use of electronic smoking devices on school district property. Assembly bill 170/Senate bill 132 would restrict the use of vapor products in child care centers, schools, and inside hospitals, but would restrict cities, villages, towns, or counties from regulating the product in any other public spaces except for government buildings. To read more about each bill, please visit www.legis.wisconsin.gov.

The WI Cancer Council will continue to monitor this issue and provide information to our partners. 

2015 County Environmental Health Profiles: The Wisconsin Environmental Public Health Tracking Program recently released their 2015 County Environmental Health Profiles.The profiles highlight environmental data by county, including lung cancer and melanoma rates. These two cancers are strongly linked to environmental causes.

For Uninsured Cancer Patients, Outpatient Charges Can Be Costly, Putting Treatments Out of Reach (April 2015, Health Affairs): A new study looks at reimbursement by Medicare, large private health plans, and expected patient cost sharing for outpatient oncology care. The study found that uninsured patients faced potential prices for chemotherapy that were 2-43 times as much as the total Medicare allowed amount and 2-5 times as much as private insurance-allowed amount.

Why Survival Rate is Not the Best Way to Judge Cancer Spending (April 13, 2015, The New York Times):  Two recently released studies look at value of cancer care, one uses survival rates and one mortality rates.

Report on State ACA Coverage and Tobacco Cessation: The American Lung Association recently released a report analyzing tobacco cessation options covered, state by state, through the Affordable Care Act and state exchanges. Overall, Wisconsin compares quite well to other states.