Nebraska  Breast and Cervical Cancer
Control Partnerships
March 2018 Update
www.bcpartnerships.net
The Art of Living with Cancer Conference
A Time to Heal Foundation's fourth annual Art of Living with Cancer Conference is set for Saturday, April 7 from 8:00 am - 1:00 pm.  This year's conference promises to be a half-day event of hope, help and how-to's for all who participate. 

The conference is designed to empower cancer survivors, their caregivers and healthcare professionals. This year it will be held at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Thompson Center, 6705 Dodge Street.  Doors open at 7:00 am.  

Keynote speaker Dr. Heather Palmer will address  Goodbye Brain Fog: Strategies to Get Thinking Back on Track  during the opening welcome breakfast from 8:00 - 9:30 am. Eleven  different breakout sessions will follow for conference participants.

Continuing education (CE) credits of 3.25 hours are being offered for nursing, mental health practitioners and social workers. A $50 registration fee for these individuals, covers conference attendance, breakfast, sales tax and CE processing fees. Tickets for the general public (survivors, caregivers, etc.) are $35 if you register before March 15. On March 16, ticket prices go up to $45. 

For a copy of the brochure,  click here To register,  click here For more information call 402.401.6083. 
Casting for Recovery Announces 2018 Retreats
Casting for Recovery, which began in 2011 with  
an all-volunteer team, is offering two FREE retreats again this year. The first will take place  April 22-24  (apply by March 10) at Ponca State Park and the second will be held October 7-9 (apply by July 29)  at The Prairie Club, Valentine, NE The retreats are open to women who live in Nebraska and South Dakota and have received a breast cancer diagnosis. Space is limited to 14 women per retreat.
  • If you submitted an application to attend a 2017 retreat, you MUST reapply for 2018.
  • If you have already submitted an application for a 2018 retreat, do NOT reapply.
Be sure to follow the instructions on the Apply page on the website and any other notes on the application itself.  Since Casting for Recovery turns away more women than they can accept, they respectfully ask that you not reapply if you have already attended a retreat.

The once-in-a-lifetime retreat takes women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer out of the clinical setting and into nature, where they can relax, share their breast cancer experience with other survivors, and learn the therapeutic sport of fly-fishing. The retreats are provided at no cost to participants and  include counseling and medical education. To apply for the April 22-24 retreat, click here. To apply for the October 7-9 experience, click here
Cervical Cancer and the HPV Vaccine
The human papilloma virus (HPV) has been identified as a major cause of cervical cancer and other cancers in both men and women. The HPV vaccine can reduce future cancer risk.

It's important for parents to understand the benefits of the vaccine and how it can help protect their children from HPV-related cancers.  In a recent Office of Women's Health Update, Dr. Abbey B. Berenson shares five things that parents should know.  Click here  to read the blog post.

Making Effective HPV Vaccine Recommendations is a new research-tested intervention program from the NIH National Cancer Institute designed to promote HPV vaccination by healthcare providers. A research study was conducted to test the efficacy of the intervention and at post-test, the intervention group had a significantly greater increase in HPV vaccine initiation than the control group. The program seeks to build awareness and behavioral modification for healthcare providers. To read more about this study, click here. 
New Website Research Section
silver-keyboard2.jpg The bcpartnerships.net website has added a new Research Studies section designed to achieve three goals: 1) spotlight research results of interest to Partnership members, 2) help researchers recruit participants for relevant current studies, and 3) link researchers and students with promising programs that could benefit from needs assessment or program evaluation research. For relevant info, read on.
LGBTQ Research Study Looking for Participants
LaShaune P. Johnson PhD Assistant Professor in the Master of Public african_woman_earrings.jpg Health Program at Creighton University, is an  African American two-time cancer survivor. She is a also a sociologist,  researcher and volunteer in the African American breast cancer community studying health disparities and has co-authored a chapter in the book: Black LGBT Health in the United States.  

As a result of the conversations shared in this effort, a research study entitled: "Rainbows or Ribbons? Queer Black Women Searching for a Place in the Cancer Sisterhood," emerged and is being spearheaded by Professor Johnson. The study, funded by Creighton University's Haddix Fund, is looking for women to participate in telephone/web-based interviews to learn about their screening/diagnosis experiences who are:
  • Black/African-American
  • age 20 or over
  • members of the LGBTQIA community (not necessarily local to Omaha)
  • experienced in clinical breast health screening (mammogram, breast MRI, breast ultrasound), having had one in the past THREE (3) years
  • or have been diagnosed (AT ANY TIME) with breast cancer (regardless of your choice of [non] treatment)  
This study is important because while  major strides have been made in the treatment and detection of breast, and to a lesser extent,  reproductive cancer, Black women are experiencing survival disparities. Additionally, recent studies have shown that members of the LGBTQIA community are subject to social, cultural and economic conditions that put them at risk for cancer detection and treatment outcome disparities as well.  

For more information, contact LaShaune P. Johnson, PhD at 402-280-2042 (office) or 918-430-9608 (cell), or email her by 
clicking here.

Individuals participating in the study will receive a $25.00 Amazon gift card upon completion of their interview. For more detailed information on this research study, click here
Special Gifts for Mastectomy Patients 
The Hereditary Cancer Foundation is collecting donated items to fill gift baskets for women who are gene carriers, at high cancer risk, and preparing for mastectomy surgery.  Although the Foundation will accept any appropriate items, suggested donations include: dry shampoo, cute head wraps, candy, face and baby wipes, fleece/tie/soft blankets, fuzzy socks, books/magazines, spray deodorant, mastectomy pillows, surgical drain belts, hand sanitizers, lip balm, tissues, tumbler cups with straws, notebooks/pens, jar openers, movies or robes.  To donate items or learn more about the project, click here
CaringGuidance™ Research Study Needs Volunteers
All women experience distress when diagnosed with breast cancer - some much more than others. Robin Lally, Ph. D. a researcher at the UNMC Buffett Cancer Center, is doing a randomized study to assess the effectiveness of CaringGuidance™ After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, a new web-based self-care program for women to use at their own pace. The CaringGuidance™ program offers answers, tools and support to help women and their families navigate the rollercoaster of thoughts and emotions that cause distress when living with a new cancer diagnosis. The research study is seeking  60 newly-diagnosed women (3 months or less from initial breast cancer diagnosis) who reside in rural areas of Nebraska.  Click here  for more information or call 402-559-5464.  
Survivorship Program News
LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA is a 12-week program that includes cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, balance, and flexibility exercises.  Participants report high levels of satisfaction, strong connections with group members, and plans to continue their exercise regiment after the program.  In Lincoln,  LIVESTRONG 2018 upcoming sessions are scheduled for  April 23 - July 13 and  July 30 - October 19. To register or learn more, click here Programs are also being offered at LIVESTRONG locations in Omaha. For times and locations, click here
The American Cancer Society Road to Recovery program provides free transportation to cancer patients attending treatment. The program is seeking additional volunteer drivers for Douglas, Sarpy, Lancaster, Hall, Adams, Buffalo and surrounding counties. Contact Christine Bleich at 402.235.6709 or visit www.cancer.org  for more information. 

Look Good Feel Better® teaches  women how to cope with the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment. Taught by licensed beauty professionals (cosmetologists, nail technicians, etc.), the free program is open to all women undergoing cancer treatment.  Look Good Feel Better® sessions are offered at 13 different locations in Nebraska or patients can order at home support. Call 1-800-395-LOOK (5665).  For online info, click here .
The Lincoln Breast Cancer Alliance coordinates the  Bosom Buddies Hope Chest offering  free new and gently-used bras, prostheses, and other mastectomy supplies in a unique  partnership with
One More Time
,
an upscale resale shop in the heart of Lincoln. Trained volunteer fitters meet with women needing the service and use store dressing room space for personalized fittings.  There are no age, income or other requirements. For more information,  click here .
Upcoming Special Events
March 2 -
CANCERcare Update on Clinical Trials: How They Work, 12:30 - 1:30 pm, CST. Registrants can listen in live over the phone or online as a webcast. 
Register now.

April 7- 
A Time To Heal The Art of Living with Cancer  Conference, 
8:00 am - 1:00 pm,  Thompson Alumni Center on the UNO campus, 6705 Dodge Street, Omaha.  (See article above.)

April 17 - A Time to Heal Holistic Wellness Recovery Program,1:30 - 4:00 pm. Class held every Tuesday for 12 weeks ending July 3, 2018 at the Fred and Pamela Buffet Cancer Center, Yanney Conference Room. For more information or to register, click here .

April 22-24 - Casting for Recovery Spring Retreat. Apply by March 10. (See article above.)

April 23 - July 13 - Livestrong sessions begin in Lincoln. After a brief break, sessions continue from July 30 - October 19. (See article above.)

May 17-18 - A Time to Heal Facilitator Training, 8:45 am - 4:00 pm, Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center, University of Nebraska at Omaha campus. For medical professionals only. Click here for more information and to register.

June 5 -  Cancer Survivor Beauty and Support Day (CSBSD) is a nationwide event that takes place every year on the first Tuesday in June. Click here for more information. 

October 7-9 - Casting for Recovery Fall Retreat. Apply by July 29. (See article above.)

October 27 - Project Pink'd 
Sexual Wellness Conference,
8:30 am - 4:30 pm  at the Hilton Omaha. For more information, click here. To register,
Free Resources
Susan G. Komen® Great Plains  is pleased to offer free, informative sessions on breast health to businesses and social groups in Nebraska.These presentations contain relevant, evidence based information about breast health and breast cancer, for women and men at all stages of life.They will come to you, at a time and place of your choice, and provide a presentation and take home materials. For more information, please call Elizabeth Keller-Charbonneau, Grants and Community Outreach Manager, at 402-502-2979 or email her by clicking here

The National Cancer Institute (NHI)  has announced the release of their Updated Cancer Trends Report, a key source of national trend data across a spectrum of cancer control measures. From prevention to end of life, the site offers trends by sex, age, race, ethnicity, income and education level displayed in relation to Healthy People 2020 targets, where available. Check out the site by clicking here

HDPulse, a new online health disparities resource   modeled after  the was introduced by the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities .  HDPulse consists of two easy-to-use portals: a Data Portal (available now) and an Intervention Portal (debuting in Fall 2018). The Data Portal can help public health professionals and researchers identify, track, and study issues related to health disparities. It  offers the ability to explore health disparity topics such as screening and risk factors, socio-demographics, and mortality - with more topics to come! The Intervention Portal will offer evidence-based interventions to improve minority health and health disparities. To explore HDPulse,