November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
 Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in New Hampshire, killing more than breast, colon and prostate cancer combined (see 2011 New Hampshire State Health Profile). According to the American Cancer Society, the best way to avoid lung cancer is to not smoke, or quit smoking. Help to quit smoking is available from the NH Tobacco Helpline or 1-800-QUIT-NOW. Read more... |
Upcoming Events November 15, 2012 17th Annual NH Hospice and Palliative Care Organizations (NHHPCO) Fall Conference at the
SERESC Conference Center in Bedford, NH
"The Best Care Possible" featuring Ira Byock, MD,
Director of Palliative Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
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November 15, 2012 The American Cancer Society is marking the 37th Great American Smokeout on November 15 by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. By doing so, smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life - one that can lead to reducing cancer risk.
--- Save The Date! March 20, 2013 NH CCC Annual Conference
"Navigating Turbulent Waters: Reducing the Burden of Cancer in Individuals and Communities" To be held at the Grappone Conference Center/ Courtyard by Marriott
in Concord, NH |
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2012 Data Brief:
Tobacco Use Among Youth in New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services, Tobacco Prevention & Control Program recently published
"Tobacco Use
Among Youth in New Hampshire."
The Brief gives an overview of tobacco related data from the
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Kickin' Butts in New Hampshire
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NH CCC Featured Partner: Kate McNally
Kate McNally, clean-air-advocate of New Hampshire Public Radio's The Folk Show fame, has coordinated the 15-year-old Cheshire Coalition for Tobacco-Free  Communities (Coalition) for the last nine years. The Coalition is funded by the Cheshire Health Foundation and focuses on tobacco prevention, cessation and the elimination of exposure to secondhand smoke. A program of Cheshire Medical/ Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene, the Coalition sponsors an extensive array of treatment programs for those who wish to quit using tobacco; it also coordinates local events and support groups, and provides local and school-based education and resources.
Kate serves on the NH Comprehensive Cancer Collaboration Board of Directors and co-chairs the Primary Prevention Work Group. The tobacco sub-group identified the following priorities in the New Hampshire Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan: decreasing initiation of use by youth; increasing cessation attempts by adults; and increasing tobacco-free environments at both work and home.
"Being involved in the Collaboration has allowed me to connect with people working in tobacco control and beyond - be it a prevention-focused organization, substance abuse group, hospital, or insurance company," said Kate. "I feel the Collaboration has opened the door and connected the dots between cancer and tobacco prevention in New Hampshire."
Read more...
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Increasing Awareness and Access to
Palliative Care in New Hampshire
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November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and the New Hampshire Comprehensive Cancer Collaboration (NH CCC) Palliation Work Group continues to work to increase awareness and access to palliative care.  Palliative care is the medical specialty focused on preventing, treating and relieving the debilitating effects of serious illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for patients and their families earlier in the disease process - whatever the prognosis. As an illness progresses, patients can transition to hospice care for necessary treatment and services. Hospice focuses on caring, not curing, and helps patients and families focus on living as fully and comfortably as possible. Three Palliative Care objectives are identified in the 2010-2014 New Hampshire Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan. They are to: - Increase the participation of hospitals providing palliative care services to cancer survivors
- Establish a baseline of how cancer survivors access information about palliative care
- Increase the proportion of New Hampshire cancer care settings that have adopted evidence-based assessment and symptom management.
Read more... |
NH CCC Grant Helps WIC Nutritionists Discuss Tobacco Cessation with Their Clients
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The Community Health Institute Trains Southern New Hampshire Services and Rockingham Community Action in 'Ask, Assist and Refer' "I finally have a non-threatening way to talk with my clients about their smoking." This is one of the comments the Community Health Institute (CHI) received after working with the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program at Southern New Hampshire Services, and Rockingham Community Action (SNHS/RCA). While WIC nutritionists help new or expecting moms to improve the nutrition of their families and make difficult behavioral change through counseling and education, they often struggle to  help these women address their tobacco use. The NH WIC program wanted to do more to help their clients deal with their tobacco use and consequently the exposure to second- and third-hand smoke their children involuntarily experience. This is why SNHS/RCA was eager to partner with the Community Health Institute (CHI) in a pilot project funded by New Hampshire Comprehensive Cancer Collaboration (NH CCC). Read more... |
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Public Policy and Education Committee (PPEC) Update: New Report Measures Progress in Fight Against Cancer
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A majority of states are not measuring up on legislative solutions that prevent and fight cancer, according to a new report released by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). As states continue to struggle with budget shortfalls and legislative challenges, many state legislatures have missed opportunities to enact laws and policies that could not only generate new revenue and long-term health savings, but also save lives.
The report, How Do You Measure Up?: A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality, was released at the National Conference of State Legislatures' annual meeting in Chicago, IL. Now in its tenth year, How Do You Measure Up? identifies and ranks specific policy actions that state legislatures can take to fight cancer, including adequate breast and cervical cancer early detection program funding; colorectal screening coverage laws; comprehensive smoke-free laws; tobacco prevention program funding; and increased tobacco taxes. The 2012 report also adds two new measures, tanning bed bans for minors and access to palliative care to treat pain and other symptoms of the disease.
How Do You Measure Up? also offers a blueprint for effective implementation of provisions of the Affordable Care Act that benefit cancer patients and their families, such as creating consumer-friendly state health exchanges, expanding health coverage to new populations through Medicaid and ensuring that health plans cover essential health benefits for chronic disease patients. In addition, the report provides guidance on matters such as tobacco cessation funding; emerging tobacco products; obesity, nutrition and physical activity; and oral chemotherapy parity.
View the full report at: action.acscan.org/hdymu2012.
Nancy Kane and Mike Rollo, Co-Chairs
NH CCC PPEC
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Norris Cotton Cancer Center Uses "Lemons"
To Educate Women About Breast Cancer Detection
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Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC) put a yellow tint on its October breast cancer awareness efforts, a month usually draped in the color pink. Northern New England's only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center has equipped its 16 New Hampshire and Vermont locations with posters and pamphlets that transform lemons from fruit into a teaching aid.
"We want women to be educated, empowered, and healthy," said Telisa Stewart, MPH, DrPH, NCCC director of community education and prevention. "Women need to know when to take action and what steps to take."
The NCCC breast cancer campaign includes a poster that depicts a dozen lemons in an egg carton, each digitally manipulated to illustrate a possible sign of breast cancer, such as dimpling, inflammation, or indentation, since lumps are not the only signs of breast cancer. Another poster features a dissected lemon as the anatomy of the breast and compares the breast's features to soft beans and peas while pointing out: a cancerous lump is often hard and immovable like a lemon seed.
Read more...
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BRFSS Data Takes on New Meaning
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2011 BRFSS Survey Now Includes Cell Phone Users
Since approximately 30% of US households have only cell phones, the BRFSS survey has been expanded to include cell phone users. In addition, the statistical weighting method used to represent a targeted population has also changed. These changes that expanded and improved the way data is gathered and processed means that new data cannot be accurately compared to previous findings. The first data reflecting the changes is the BRFSS 2011 dataset that the CDC released in June 2012.
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For More Information
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For more information about NH CCC go to our website
www.nhcancerplan.org or email info@nhcancerplan.org |
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