Wyoming Comprehensive Cancer Control Consortium

September is Pain Awareness
and
Palliative Cancer Awareness Month

September is Pain Awareness and Palliative Care Awareness Month. It is important to understand the difference between pain management and palliative care.

Pain management is defined as, “If pain can be defined as a highly unpleasant, individualized experience of one of the body's defense mechanisms indicating an injury or problem, pain management encompasses all interventions used to understand and ease pain, and, if possible, to alleviate the cause of the pain.” (2007 Encyclopedia of Surgery)

How does pain effect our population?

Estimated 50 million Americans cope with pain daily;
Chronic pain is most common cause of long-term disability, and almost 1/3 of all Americans will experience severe chronic pain at some point in their lives; and
90% of pain can be relieved, but tools we have (including comprehensive pain management plans) are not being utilized.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines palliative care as, “An approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.” (2007)

Palliative care includes: relief from pain and other distressing symptoms; affirms life and regards dying as a natural process; intends to neither accelerate nor postpone death; integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care; and uses a team approach to address the needs of patients and their families, including bereavement counseling. (WHO, 2007)

Palliative care and pain Management are both imperative to the continuum of cancer care. However, it is important to point out, while pain management is vital to the process of palliative care, but palliative care is not vital to pain management; meaning that a patient may not need palliative care, but might need pain management. Pain management is only one component of palliative care, palliative care must include the treatment of the whole person; Mind, Body and Spirit.

There is a much deeper problem in regards to pain management and palliative care; the problem lies at the heart of the patient. Many cancer patients are in state of fear and pain through the last days and even months of their lives. Palliative care should relive pain and empower the patient and their families to help them reclaim the end of their lives. The Reclaim the End of Life Initiative out of New Hampshire, is dedicated to this process. For more information on this Initiative, please visit www.reclaimtheend.org.

The WCCCC and the WCCCP will be implementing the Wyoming Pain Iniative. For more information on how to get involved, please contact the WCCCP program Manager at 307-777-8609.

Wyoming Comprehensive Cancer Control Consortium Makes History!

The Wyoming Cancer Control Act was enacted by the 59th WSL. The Wyoming Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, in conjunction with the American Cancer Society, and various WCCCC members spent much time this year educating Wyoming legislators about various aspects of the bill. Partners provided data, testimony, and much education about evidence-based cancer prevention and control.

Senate File 131, Wyoming Cancer Control Act, forms the foundation for reducing cancer, improving health for all Wyoming people, and providing access to necessary support for cancer patients, survivors, families, and caregivers. Funding of the various aspects of the Wyoming Cancer Control Plan will begin gradually as capacity building and effective programs can be demonstrated. As indicated in the Wyoming Cancer Control Plan Budget, it would take approximately $22 million per year to decrease the impact of cancer in the state.

Colorectal Cancer Screening: In 2007, there is estimated to be 260 new cases of colorectal cancer and 110 deaths from cancer of the colon or rectum. According to the Census Bureau, 135,661 men and women over the age of 50 live in Wyoming (2000). According to this data, 52,000 Wyoming men and women in this age group are below the 250% FPL. Of that population, 5,000 (approximately 10%) report no health insurance to aid in screening. Through the Wyoming Cancer Control Act, it is estimated that the program could provide vouchers to approximately 2,600 Wyoming men and women each year.

Breast and Cervical Cancer Program Enhancement – In 2007, there is estimated to be 310 new cases of breast cancer and 60 deaths from breast cancer. Women in Wyoming are disparately impacted due to the rural and frontier nature of the state.

Pain Management – The issues surrounding pain management are complex and affect people in a broad spectrum of health care and have an impact on cancer treatment. The issue crosses many professional boundaries with physicians and other health care providers, patients, law enforcement, substance abuse, among other who have a stake in this issue. Wyoming’s policies relating to pain was recently given a C+ by the Pain & Policy Studies Group (PPSG) 2006 Report Card on Pain. http://carolinasendoflifecare.org/scpi/documents/PolicyReportCard2006.pdf The Wyoming Cancer Control Act authorizes the WDH to establish an acute and chronic pain management advisory committee consisting of the Board of Medicine, Board of Nursing, and the Board of Pharmacy. Also included is the appointment of a chairperson and a member of the public who has experience in pain management—both of which must be appointed by the WDH Director. No funding has been appropriated for this project.

January 23, 2007 was a day of hope in Wyoming's fight against cancer. The Consortium held it's first meeting of 2007, in conjunction with a press conference, presentations on the House and Senate Floors, and a legislative luncheon to introduce and educate participants about Wyoming's Cancer Control Act and a Clinical Trials Bill that were headed to the state legislature this session.

In the afternoon, the WCCCC Steering Committee shared information about the Comprehensive Cancer Control Leadership Institute held in Seattle, Washington, October 23 through 27, 2006. The Steering Committee addressed the national priorites for Comprehensive Cancer Control and the integration of those priorities into the second year of implementation. The WCCCC members also worked on developing the new Consortium workgroups. Tobacco, Survivorship, Colorectal Cancer Task Force, Workforce, and American Indian and Alaska Native Partnernships were chosen to be year two priorities.

The day was intended to celebrate hope, progrss and ansers in Wyoming's fight against cancer.

The 2 nd Annual Wyoming Cancer Conference was held November 2-3, 2006 in Sheridan, Wyoming. It was well attended and the focus of this year’s event was “Celebrating Hope: Collaborating to Achieve Wyoming’s Vision of Cancer Prevention and Control”.

Speakers included Dr. Brent Sherard of the Wyoming Health Department, Dr. Karl Lorenz of UCLA, and Hailey Justice of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Attached you will find this year’s conference brochure and speaker handouts that were made available to us. If you have additional materials you would like to obtain, please contact Jessica Perez at jperez@state.wy.us or via telephone at 307.777.7362.