More than 1.6 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year and about 12.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. Even with more than 100 different kinds of cancer and so many people developing the disease, many people still never think it could happen to them.
Studies have shown that through education, lifestyle changes and screening, many cancers can be prevented or detected early. February is National Cancer Prevention Month and the perfect time to remind and educate your local community.
- Call on oncologists and surgeons to educate them about the care you provide to patients with a cancer diagnosis. Take along your comprehensive patient education guides that help your patients stay on track and achieve better outcomes.
- World Cancer Day is Feb. 4, 2014. Visit the World Cancer Day webpage and discover ways to become engaged on this important topic. You also can see what others around the world are doing. Be sure to visit their materials page for tons of ready-made collateral you can use, including an outreach toolkit.
- Hospice providers,
- Host a free community education class on chronic disease management t local senior centers. Check out TAG Partners’ ready-made class on this topic that is designed for a non-clinician to present. Call 866-232-6477 for individual component pricing.
- Become an advocate on social media by using your Facebook, Twitter and other accounts to push cancer prevention tips and facts to followers and friends throughout the month. Check out the National Cancer Institute’s fact sheets for tons of great information to help you get started.
- Contact your local affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization and get information about sponsoring a mammography voucher program. These programs provide education, counseling, breast cancer screening and diagnostic services to low-income women in your community. Ask your partner hospitals and women’s centers to offer the diagnostic screenings at no cost for women who qualify.
- Create a flyer with basic guidelines patients can follow to increase their success of preventing cancer. Leave these in local physicians’ waiting rooms. Some basic information can be found at the National Cancer Institute’s website. Call a TAG associate at 866-232-6477 if you would like help creating a flyer.
- Visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website for tons of free cancer-related fact sheets, posters and other educational materials, including materials in Spanish. You can even order a limited number of free printed copies of many of the materials.