Communication & Public Education Committee

Why?

Developing and offering cancer programs is the key to lowering cancer incidence and mortality in Delaware. But to achieve that goal, the programs must be used. And before people can use them, they must first become aware of them. We must find ways to tell those who need help—especially people in diverse populations—about the many programs and services available to them.

WHAT CAN BE DONE

Use the Delaware Cancer Alliance as a conduit for information about the programs—so details may be communicated to health care workers to share with their coworkers and patients/clients.
Promote health literacy by keeping language simple and easy to understand and by offering linguistically and culturally appropriate materials.
Provide materials with these messages in places where the at-risk populations are most likely to see them—such as doctors’ offices, clinics, community centers, wellness centers and other similar venues throughout the state.

Click each goal to read about the objectives, tasks and timeframes.

Goal 1:

Maintain, expand and provide oversight for the Delaware Cancer Education Alliance.

Year 1

$20,000

Year 2

$22,000

Year 3

$22,000

Year 4

$22,000

Objective 1A: Provide training to Alliance members, members of the DCC Committees and other partners on health education methodology, cultural competence, health literacy and translation of science into practice.

Task/Action	Responsible Party	Timeframe
Conduct an annual Alliance Summit, with opportunities for training, sharing and networking.	Communication and Public Education Committee and Alliance steering committee	Year 1 & ongoing
Conduct an annual half-day or whole-day skills development workshop.	Communication and Public Education Committee and Alliance steering committee	Year 1 & ongoing
Enhance collaboration with other health advocacy organizations and programs with mutual goals to identify and utilize all opportunities to educate the public about cancer.	Communication and Public Education Committee and Alliance steering committee	Year 1 & ongoing

Objective 1B: Promote and improve public education relating to cancer.

Task/Action	Responsible Party	Timeframe
Develop a speakers’ bureau and organize other resources to disseminate information to public groups.	Communication and Public Education Committee and Alliance steering committee	Year 1 & ongoing
Provide links to quality, trusted resources for cancer education through the DCC website.	Communication and Public Education Committee and Alliance steering committee	Year 1 & ongoing
Review and promote or endorse new programs for lay educators and professionals related to cancer education.	Communication and Public Education Committee and Alliance steering committee	Year 1 & ongoing
Ensure accurate information and unified approach to public education on prevention, screening, detection and treatment.	Communication and Public Education Committee	Year 1 & ongoing
Identify best practices and effective methods for reaching populations at higher risk.	Communication and Public Education Committee and DPH	Year 1 & ongoing

Goal 2:

Promote a safe, healthy and caring school environment in public and private schools.

Goal 3:

Provide technical assistance to the committees of the Delaware Cancer Consortium on educational methods, practices and programs.

Year 1

Year 2

$5,000

Year 3

$5,000

Year 4

$5,000

Objective 3A: Ensure public education messages are unified (i.e., “one voice”) and reflect the goals of the Delaware Cancer Consortium.

Task/Action	Responsible Party	Timeframe
Develop internal (among committees) and external (general public) communication process, standards and templates to ensure messages are unified.	Communication and Public Education Committee	Year 2
Disseminate best practices for education and translation to each DCC committee.	Communication and Public Education Committee and DPH	Year 2 & ongoing
Review media campaigns or educational materials at the request of other committees and provide educational consultation on how to appropriately target programs and create effective messages for target populations.	Communication and Public Education Committee, DPH and media contractor	Year 1 & ongoing

Objective 3B: Translate DCC committee data findings to make them accessible to the general public and to facilitate knowledge and action.

Task/Action	Responsible Party	Timeframe
Review science and data and translate for action and education; provide committees with key points from data and other research for use in campaigns and programs.	Communication and Public Education Committee, DPH and media contractor	Year 1 & ongoing