Delaware Cancer Consortium

We see progress since we have taken action to lower the cancer incidence and mortality rates in Delaware.

Although our cancer incidence is still above the national average, that number has dropped. It’s part of a downward trend we’re seeing nationally. For breast cancer, our incidence rates are now
below the national average. Mortality rates nationally and in Delaware are lower overall. But we know that cancer is a complex disease and that many of the tasks we are undertaking will continue to help us reach our goal—to reverse the trend that we recognized five years ago—to be among states ranked among the lowest for cancer incidence and mortality in the nation.

WHAT CAN BE DONE

Reimburse all Delawareans for colorectal, prostate, breast and cervical cancer
screenings—adding a cervical cancer vaccine for girls and young women.
Make sure targeted populations know about all the cancer services available to them.
Bring more screenings—via mobile outreach—to targeted populations.
Remove barriers that keep people from getting screened by examining deductibles and co-pays and partnering with insurance companies to get more people screened and enrolled in risk reduction programs.
Take information about cancer screening, prevention, treatment and survivorship into the workplace and encourage employers to be advocates for both screenings and cancer survivors.
Address survivorship issues by creating holistic programs and rehabilitation,
offering the services of wellness coaches and training health care providers on palliative and end-of-life care.
Extend cancer treatment coverage from one to two years.
Reduce prostate, breast and colorectal cancer mortality rates among African American men and women.
Continue to acquire relevant data, evaluate it and share it with all committees.
Continue the Cancer Care Coordination Program to eliminate the barriers to cancer care.
Continue to monitor the air and bodies of water in our state for carcinogenic substances.
Improve information about clinical trials and make sure cancer patients know they are an option for them.
Review medical records to get an update on quality measures for specific types of cancer.
Continue programs such as Quitline and QuitNet to result in even greater
reduction of tobacco use.

Moving Forward

It’s been four years since we began our quest to lower cancer incidence and mortality rates in Delaware. There are new words in our vocabulary lately. Words like progress. Achievement. Promise. And hope. They’ve appeared because we’ve done more than just talk about what needed to be done. We’ve implemented a plan, addressed specific needs and even supported the passing of legislation—like the Clean Indoor Air Act—
to hardwire change.

We realize cancer is a complex disease and there is no one silver bullet. But we have made changes that are starting to make a significant impact on the health of Delawareans.

In the next four years, we want to eliminate all race/ethnicity and economic disparities in cancer. Our ultimate goal is to work toward having the lowest cancer incidence and mortality rates in the nation. And we want to ensure people in Delaware who are diagnosed with
cancer get the best possible care in an efficient, person-centric way.

As we move forward, we’ll tackle more health issues—including risk factors for cancer, identifying and addressing the root causes of racial/ethnic disparities and prevention of cervical cancer through the HPV vaccine. The reason is obvious. Every change we make may mean another life saved.

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

Goal 1:

Maintain a permanent council, managed by a neutral party, which reports directly to the Governor to oversee implementation of the recommendations and comprehensive cancer control; the council should have early detection and prevention, tobacco and other risk factors, environment,quality care, quality of life, insurance, workplace, education, disparities, and data committees that continually evaluate and work to improve cancer care and cancer-related issues in Delaware.

Year 1

$150,000

Year 2

$100,000

Year 3

$100,000

Year 4

$100,000

Objective 1A: Evaluate the efficacy of cancer programs by conducting process and outcome evaluation.

Task/Action	Responsible Party	Timeframe
Fund an evaluator to conduct evaluation of comprehensive cancer and DCC programs and activities.	General Assembly	Year 1 & ongoing
Use evaluation findings and recommendations to enhance programs.	DPH	Year 2 & ongoing

Objective 1B: Develop and maintain programmatic databases to measure and track individual level outcomes.

Task/Action	Responsible Party	Timeframe
Fund development and maintenance of databases (for example, nurse navigation and care coordination) that allow for online data entry and reporting.	General Assembly	Year 1 & ongoing

Objective 1C: Oversee implementation of the current recommendations and any future recommendations.

Task/Action	Responsible Party	Timeframe
Allocate resources to DPH for ongoing administrative support to the Council, including one full-time staff person with the sole responsibility of the coordination of this group and its committees.	General Assembly	Year 1 & ongoing
Develop a structure and charge for each committee of the Consortium.	DCC Advisory Council	Ongoing
Maintain a formal membership approval process; maintain a structured council and committees to ensure clear member roles/responsibilities and expectations are provided.	DPH	Ongoing
Coordinate an annual or semiannual retreat of the Consortium on the status of cancer andcancer control activities in Delaware.	DPH	Year 1 & ongoing

Goal 2:

Develop and implement a four-year cancer control and prevention plan; this plan should be based on CDC guidelines and involve multiple stakeholders with assigned responsibilities.

Goal 3:

The Delaware Cancer Consortium will serve as a leader and resource for the public.