WELCOME NEW CHAPTER LEADERS Michelle Riner Georgia (Middle Georgia)
[email protected] Barbara Kendrick Florida (Space Coast)
[email protected] Jessi Wagner West Virginia (Shenandoah Valley)
[email protected] Linda Kimmons Florida (Polk County)
[email protected] Chrystal Giluso Louisiana (Northshore)
[email protected]
NEW STUDY ON HPV VACCINES A new study among young women in Denmark offers more evidence that HPV vaccines leads to lower cancer risk. The study, led by Birgitte Baldur-Felskov of the Danish Cancer Society Research Center in Copenhagen, looked at HPV vaccination data from 2006 to 2012 for all girls and women born in Denmark between 1989 and 1999, as well as how many of them were diagnosed with cervical lesions. Those who received HPV vaccination had a much lower risk for precancerous lesions compared to those who weren’t vaccinated. The investigators also found no cervical lesions among girls born between 1997 and 1999 The study was published Feb. 19 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Read more here.
CHAPTER LEADER
news APRIL 2014
CHAPTER LEADER SPOTLIGHT: TINA WHITE, SEBRING, OHIO How long have you been with NCCC? I have been with NCCC since November 18, 2012. What motivated you to become a chapter leader? The death from cervical cancer at age 33 of the daughter (Stephanie) of my best friend from junior high school. Just to see the suffering and devastation she endured during her fight and journey with this horrible monster. Her dying wish was to tell others so they would not go through what she had. I just couldn’t shake the fact that a Pap test could prevent this cancer in most cases. I knew I had to be the person to begin telling every woman I knew. My passion for this work is stronger today than the day I first started. As a mother of four children myself I know how busy life can be. My biggest job is to encourage women to be sure to take the time to take care of themselves...and not to be afraid. Tell us about some of your chapter activities. Our activities never seem to stop. I have a very active Facebook page that is filled with educational information, support, and contests to encourage women to tell everyone they meet about being screened for HPV and cervical cancer. We participate in TEAL Tuesday each week via our Facebook page because it give us another opportunity to tell others about cervical cancer. We also spotlight women who share with us when they schedule or receive their Pap test. They agree to become a member of “Girl Club” on our Facebook page and we post their picture with a congratulations wish for “taking charge of their health and wellness” To date, over 100 women have joined the “Girl Club,” several of whom had not had a Pap test in several years—one as long as 7.
A Prayer Shawl Project Meeting
Because of our Facebook page I have also met and worked with a wonderful woman grieving the loss of her 32-year-old daughter to cervical cancer. In an effort to assist her with her grief, “The Prayer Shawl Project for Grief and Healing” was born. She and her sister knit/ crochet shawls and meditate and pray over them. Once Continued on page 3
THE AMERICAN SEXUAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION TURNS 100 In 2014, NCCC’s parent organzation, the American Sexual Health Association (ASHA), is celebrating its centennial anniversary. ASHA was founded in 1914 as the American Social Hygiene Association, formed out of early 20th century social reform movements focused on fighting, in the parlance of the day, veneASHA’s centennial logo real diseases (VD) such as gonorrhea and syphilis. This work continued through two world wars, as ASHA produced volumes of educational material for the military, into the 1970s with our public awareness campaign VD is for Everybody, to the HIV and STD hotlines ASHA operated in the 1980s through the 2000s, and and our Sexual Health Resource Center work today. HPV and cervical cancer prevention have been an important focus of ASHA’s work in recent decades. In 1998, ASHA created the National HPV and Cervical Cancer Prevention Resource Center to address the lack of nationally available HPV and cervical cancer prevention information and resources. Among the services offered by the resource center were the first national HPV hotline and local HPV support groups around the country. The center continues to offer information and support today, and still provides a voice in advocacy efforts to increase the awareness of HPV and cervical cancer prevention. In 2011, ASHA’s merger with the National Cervical Cancer Coalition expanded our national reach and strengthened NCCC’s grassroots programs. The theme for ASHA’s centennial year is “Creating a Sexually Healthy Nation.” The work of our NCCC chapters, educating and raising awareness about cervical cancer prevention and sexual health and advocating for policies that support prevention go a long way toward getting us to that goal!
SAMPLE ASHA PROJECTS ON HPV AND CERVICAL CANCER In 1997, ASHA began a five-year project to develop a national model to increase Pap testing and follow-up among low-income African American and Hispanic women—the Cervical Cancer Prevention Project. ASHA identified two communities in North Carolina as pilot sites for developing a replicable model for reaching under-served women in both urban and rural settings. As part of the project. ommunity-based educational workshops were developed covering topics such as cervical cancer, Pap testing, follow-up care, sexually transmitted diseases, and communication with healthcare providers and partners. ASHA also developed two continuing medical education (CME) courses for health care providers in collaboration with the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP)— “Follow-up after an Abnormal Pap: Addressing Barriers” and “Understanding Cultural and Psychosocial Barriers to Pap A poster from the Cervical Cancer Testing.” This project was used as a model for Prevention Project other local and national organizations. In 2009, ASHA explored an innovative method of reaching populations with low literacy levels. The project was designed to communicate cervical cancer prevention information through the use of a visual “map” using images and as few words as possible to convey messages of prevention. For the project, ASHA contracted internationally known graphic designer Nigel Holmes to deThe HPV and cervical cancer sign the map with the help of foreign-born women who reside in rural Chatham prevnetion “map” County, North Carolina. After the map was field tested and evaluated by local focus groups, ASHA distributed printed maps in local counties in North Carolina and to organziations and individuals across the country through its website.
Chapter Leader Spotlight, continued from page 1
finished, they ship the shawls to us. We get referrals for persons affected by cervical cancer who would benefit from a shawl and work with a local pastor, Pastor Tammy, who prays specifically with the recipient on the telephone over their shawl. This project has assisted many people and especially this mother who has lost her beloved daughter. To keep Stephanie’s memory alive and honor her life, we sponsor The Stephanie Bryant Scholarship to the Robert T. White School of Nursing. We also speak to nursing students and provide written information on HPV and cervical cancer during national Women’s Health Week in May so that the students will be informed for themselves and for their patients. For the past two years we have had also a softball tournament in honor of Stephanie. January was a busy month. We held an awareness walk in our local mall and also received two written proclamations from local towns officially declaring January as Cervical Health Month. We have met with our local representative and communicate via email with a second representative ongoing in Ohio to educate them on cervical cancer in hopes of one day receiving a proclamation declaring January as Cervical Health Month in all of Ohio.
A proclamation from the town of Alliance, OH
We try to be active locally, placing a display in the local library, as well as signs and teal ribbons throughout the town turning it teal for the month of January. We have worked with a small business in Ohio called Prairie Rose Products (www.prairieroseproducts.com) and have had them agree to support cervical health by placing a teal ribbon on every bottle of healing salve that they sell. We also collaborate with our local doctors and health department for local information on HPV and cervical cancer screenings for women who are uninsured or under insured. Most recently, we have begun to share a story of hope about either a survivor of cervical cancer or someone lost to cervical cancer on our Facebook page to honor and celebrate their life. Our latest event, “Leave your Panties at the Mall,” to spread awareness of cervical cancer will be taking place in May during national Women’s Health week. We hope to make this an annual fundraising event.
A display booth at a local mall
What’s the most challenging thing in your chapter work? What’s the most satisfying? The most challenging part of my work with NCCC is that my mind never stops trying to figure out how to spread the word in a way that it will impact women to take care of themselves to prevent cervical cancer and HPV. To me it just seems like such a simple thing! One of many teal ribbons I’ve even offered to pick women up, drive them to appointments, and hold their hand. decorating Alliance, OH in My mind also never stops trying to figure out a way to ease the pain of the women and January families affected by this horrible killer. The most satisfying part of my work is being able to work with my daughter, who is a person with developmental disabilities, to advocate for cervical cancer awareness and help spread the word with me...and when I get those tiny little one sentence or 10-paragraph emails from the gals telling me how they are and how much NCCC has made a difference in their journey! Where would you like to see NCCC go in the future? I would love to see chapters in every state, with regional directors and quarterly meetings. I would also like to see TEAL join forces with PINK! I would love to see my idea, the “Talk about Teal” campaign, one day rival the “Think Pink” campaign. I like to say during October, “Think Pink, but Talk about Teal.”
