Transforming the Health System

Promoting a National Shift to Cancer Risk Reduction (Prevention and Early Detection)

Challenge: The acute care centered health care delivery system does not have the resources or incentives to foster the optimal utilization of evidence based cancer prevention and early detection services. In addition, the public’s energy and attention is focused largely on the treatment of disease and injuries rather than a more balanced focus that includes adherence to well proven prevention and early detection measures.

Goal: Develop and implement a long term and sustained national strategy that integrates cancer prevention and early detection policy and practice recommendations from related national guidance and other C-Change initiatives.

Leadership:

  • Matt Myers, JD (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids)

Focus of Effort:

  • Develop and implement a sustained national cancer risk reduction strategy that mobilizes senior thought leaders from within and beyond the cancer and health communities to provide advocacy for needed policy and practice changes.
  • Link the national strategy with efforts of other stakeholder organizations that address similar risk factors (e.g. American Heart Association, etc.) and with the National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy that is part of health reform.

Scope of Work:

  • Mobilize a high-level leadership team to serve as advocates for cancer risk policy and practice issues.
  • Continue to implement a national “Call to Action” for cancer risk reduction.
  • Contribute to the development of cancer goals for Healthy People 2020.

Recent Progress:

  • Analyzed key provisions of the health care reform legislation that impact cancer risk reduction efforts and disseminated to the Advisory Committee to help guide future C-Change policy actions.
  • Conducted a survey of committee members, to help determine specific risk reduction provisions of the health care reform legislation in which C-Change is uniquely positioned to engage (e.g. making nominations to the national committees such as the National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council’s Advisory Workgroup, submitting public comments on the National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy, providing input on the community transformation grant process.)
  • Submitted a nomination for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (10/1/10).
  • Submitted comments on the National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy (12/5/10 and 1/10/11).
  • Hosted conference call with a select group of thought leaders to strategize around the question of how best C-Change can make a bold commitment to ensure prevention elements of health care reform get implemented.

Proposed Actions for 2011:

  • Engage a team of high-level leaders from within and beyond the health community to serve as advocates for cancer risk reduction policy and practice issues to translate rhetorical commitment into sustained action and tangible support.
  • Develop advocacy strategy to protect the Public Health and Prevention Fund.
  • Engage C-Change membership and other stakeholders, within and beyond the health community, to carry out advocacy strategy.
  • Develop a broader cancer risk reduction advocacy strategy to ensure that cancer risk reduction elements of health reform and other legislation are successfully implemented and sustained.
  • Pursue implementation of advocacy strategy.

Advisory Committee