News from the Wisconsin Cancer Collaborative | December 2020
YEAR IN REVIEW
A few reasons to feel grateful
In so many ways, 2020 has been an unbelievably difficult year.

Research shows that we can feel better, build resilience, and improve mental health in times of stress simply by practicing gratitude.

So, we are looking back at some of the cancer-related news from 2020 that gave us reason to feel grateful. For example...

  • The American Cancer Society reported the largest single-year drop in cancer mortality ever recorded in the United States.
  • Newly released data from 2019 revealed increases in HPV vaccination rates across the nation and in Wisconsin.
  • Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed into law bipartisan legislation that will help more patients access cancer clinical trials.
  • Together, we unveiled the state's first 10-year blueprint to reduce the burden of cancer -- the Wisconsin Cancer Plan 2020-2030.

Most of all, we are grateful for you, our members. It feels almost impossible to fathom the amount of collective and personal grief, hardship, and stress Wisconsinites have experienced over the past nine months. And yet, you have risen to the challenge to serve your community, often as you handle stresses and hardships of your own.

In this most difficult year, you have made a difference. Thank you.

As 2020 comes to a close, we invite you to consider your own gratitude list...
What are you grateful for?
COVID-19
Getting to the other side of the pandemic
WEBINAR
COVID and cancer:
Where are we now?

What have we learned about COVID-19 and cancer since the pandemic began? Register for our next webinar to join this important conversation.

Thursday, Dec. 10
10-11 am

The webinar will feature Dr. Pat Remington, MD, MPH, and Dr. Noelle LoConte, MD, as they share new COVID-19 trends in Wisconsin, how COVID-19 is changing cancer care, and what it might take to get to the other side of the pandemic.
TAKE ACTION
Spread the word that prevention matters

As COVID-19 continues to surge across Wisconsin, we are asking our member organizations to help us amplify urgently needed public messages.

What you can do:
  • Urge your community to take the pandemic seriously.
  • Speak out about the importance of preventative measures.
  • Spread the word across your social media platforms -- especially during the holiday season.

CANCER SURVIVORSHIP
Improving care for cancer survivors
How can we improve survivorship care in Wisconsin? To answer this important question, the Wisconsin Cancer Collaborative is conducting a statewide environmental scan of survivorship care programs, with the help of an advisory panel of multi-disciplinary experts.

From June to October 2020, we recruited 40 sites from 12 health systems across the state to participate in a survivorship care survey. On Oct. 22, representatives from the 40 sites gathered virtually to talk about their work, their needs, and how the Wisconsin Cancer Collaborative can help.

The group identified the following goals:
  • Share a benchmark of survivorship care practices in Wisconsin.
  • Identify gaps and opportunities for improvement in survivorship care for Wisconsinites.
  • Connect those who work on survivorship with other programs in Wisconsin.
  • Compile and share resources.
  • Create a community of practice of survivorship programs in the state.
  • Support quality improvement projects and survivorship program building.

In lieu of traditional networking, participants shared five-minute talks about their survivorship work, and identified strengths and opportunities for improvement within their health systems.

Next steps
We have invited participants to continue partnering with us in a community of practice, to identify quality improvement opportunities, address gaps, and share resources.

We would like to thank the 40 sites for their phenomenal work and dedication. As this work continues, we will share what we learn in future issues of ENGAGE.
HEALTH EQUITY
New report examines rural and urban health disparities
A new report from the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ) identifies rural and urban disparities in health care and health outcomes to help inform programs working to eliminate health disparities.

The new Health Disparities Report: Rural and Urban Populations expands on the findings from the WCHQ's earlier 2019 Wisconsin Health Disparities Report. The WCHQ hopes the new report will help health systems, policymakers, and others work together to address health disparities.

Among the report’s findings were lower rates of HPV vaccination in some rural areas, and lower rates of depression screenings in certain urban areas. You can read more about the different categories in the report.

Read the full report
Member Resources
CDC 2020 NIVW Social Media Toolkit
December 6-12, 2020 is National Influenza Vaccination Awareness Week! Use this toolkit to remind people in your community that it’s not too late to get a flu vaccine this year.

Included in the toolkit are CDC resources, vaccination messages, and activities you can use to share key information with your networks.

GW National Cancer Survivorship Social Media Toolkit
The GW Cancer Center designed this toolkit to help stakeholders implement evidence-based practices when communicating about cancer survivorship.

This toolkit can also help you plan, implement, and evaluate your social media strategy and make the case for why it’s important.

Member Events Calendar
December 10
Hosted by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
Would you like to add a virtual event to our Member Event Calendar?