With literally more than a million cancer cases a year in the U.S., the special emotional needs of children of adult cancer patients are sometimes overlooked. That's why Camp Kesem, a national nonprofit program, created a college-student-run summer camp for kids with a parent who has or has had cancer. The one-week camps give kids ages 6-13 a chance to have a fun-filled week and "just be kids" and get extra attention and support, according the group's website. Since 2001, Camp Kesem has grown from a single camp to 37 active chapters in 22 states. Camp Kesem Berkeley (Calif.), for example, supports children in the Greater Bay Area and Tri-Valley area by putting on a completely free week-long overnight summer camp for children and teens (ages 6-16) who have a parent that either has or ...
Check out these upcoming conferences on Latino health and cancer health disparities issues: Health Disparities Conference: March 6-8, 2012
Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy's Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education will host its Fifth Health Disparities Conference March 6-8, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference, titled Achieving Health Equity through Access, Advocacy, Treatment, and Policy Development, will include discussions on successful multidisciplinary models for improved health systems outcomes. NIH Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation: March 19-20, 2012
The 5th Annual NIH Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation: Science at the Crossroads is scheduled March 19-20, 2012 in ...
Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina, a professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, is promoting the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer in South Texas. Her project, Entre Madre e Hija, trains peer educators to provide outreach and education about HPV—the virus that causes cervical cancer—and navigation support to both mothers and daughters (ages 11-17) who decide to receive the HPV vaccine. The peer educators have reached more than 1,800 women so far. “Our outreach efforts have been very successful,” Dr. Parra-Medina said. “We have found many young girls that have initiated the vaccine but have not completed the three-dose series. As a result, our efforts now include a focus on increasing compliance with the 3 dose ...
A new report from the American Cancer Society indicates that cancer death rates are continuing to fall, dropping by 1.8% per year in men and 1.6% per year in women between 2004 and 2008, thanks to advances in cancer screening and treatment, Reuters reports. While the rate of decline is small, experts say, it is significant because it has continued to fall each year in the past 10. Cancer death rates among Hispanic men (2.3%) and black men (2.4%) had the biggest declines. But the news is not all good. According to the Reuters report:
Despite improvements in the most common cancers, a companion report found an increase in cases of several cancers over the past decade, Reuters. These included cancers of the pancreas, liver, thyroid, and kidney and melanoma, as well as esophageal cancer ...
LIVESTRONG recently announced the creation of an iPad App to help people manage their cancer experience. The app, called LIVESTRONG Cancer Guide App + Tracker, lets you store and access information relevant to your treatment and survivorship electronically to your iPad. The tracker helps you track your daily symptoms, provides space for you to journal your experience, keep track of important records and contact information. The app's Cancer Guide will help you know what to expect, learn what questions to ask, and connect to resources. Read more about the app or watch a video here or ...
In the late 1980s, Dora Alicia Gonzalez helped do one of the first assessments of socioeconomics and health care locations in her native Brownsville, Texas. She even helped write a 300-page report—page by page—on a typewriter. Gonzalez said the experience, even despite its arduous typing task, sparked her interest in public health and improving the lives of the underserved. Over the last 20 years she has helped meet the needs of uninsured residents as part of a primary health care agency, and also fostered community-based partnerships and developed and implemented cancer education training sessions along the Texas-Mexico border for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Today, Gonzalez builds community health as a program coordinator at the Institute for Health Promotion Research ...
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has launched a new website with increased access to resources and materials in Spanish. Free education materials in English and Spanish can be read and downloaded or ordered from the website. This includes the easy-to-read, bilingual resource called, Knowing All Your Treatment Options/Conozca todas sus opciones de tratamiento. This booklet guides patients to discuss all treatment options with their doctors and explains clinical trials and informed consent in basic language. Also on the website is information about financial programs, links to LLS’ new and archived telephone/web education programs, LLS national and chapter support services and printable question guides about treatment and clinical trials that patients can take with them to ...
Spanish-speakers are encouraged to call the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service, 1-800-4-CANCER, to get free scientifically based information on cancer clinical trials, prevention, risk factors and more in their language. In a new video, Aileen Ardizon, Director of Bilingual Services for the Cancer Information Service, explains how the number works and what type of servces are offered. NCI cancer information is offered in English and Spanish online, ...
Anyone who has been affected by cancer is invited to take LIVESTRONG's first-of-its-kind Spanish-language survey to further understand how cancer impacts Latinos and gather data that will inform evidence-based programs, resources and tools to improve their lives and close gaps in health disparities. Survey results, expected to be released laster this year, are expected to provide a comprehensive understanding of how Latinos are living with cancer and help LIVESTRONG and the cancer community improve programs and resources to serve them. Community-specific data will also be available for researchers, program planners and others. Please take the Spanish survey ...
