Hundreds of volunteers, lay leaders, health care and human service providers and Penn State Cooperative Extension staff have hosted more than 1,000 community cancer programs for rural families. The project will focus on increased treatment options and cancer research for rural, low-income families. Key ACN partners include Penn State, the University of Kentucky's Markey Cancer Center and West Virginia University. According to Ann Ward, director of the network's Northern Region, the partnership with the Cancer Information Service at the Fox Chase Cancer Institute in Philadelphia and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute will help Penn State serve the eastern and western regions of the state, as well as the southern tier of New York. We also will work with the coalitions to link medically underserved individuals to clinical cancer prevention and treatment trials.
Clinical trials represent cutting-edge research into potentially lifesaving treatments.
In rural areas, this treatment option often is not available because rural health care providers are not as involved in clinical trials as providers in urban centers. To address these needs, the ACN will coordinate training sessions, workshops and media campaigns on cancer topics. The network also will measure community knowledge of existing cancer control programs and the latest advances in cancer prevention, screening and treatment. In addition, ACN will provide improved access to National Cancer Institute resources and encourage and assist local health professionals in developing research proposals. We need to understand how rural areas can gain access to the best efforts in cancer prevention, control and care.