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01/12: Agency to take prevention program across BC with Community Prevention Coordinators
It’s a startling statistic: experts estimate that more than 50 percent of cancers are preventable. To help British Columbians reduce their risk of developing cancer, the BC Cancer Agency’s Cancer Prevention Program is set to hire Community Prevention Coordinators across the province.
“As the physicians, nurses, researchers and other health care professionals who deal with cancer every day, we are dedicated to finding ways to reduce the burden of cancer in our patients and our communities,” explains Dr. Carla Simon, Business Affairs Coordinator with the BC Cancer Agency’s Prevention Program. “Ideally, we want to prevent it from occurring at all.”
The BC Cancer Agency currently has several prevention programs in place, such as the Sun Safe Daycare/Pre-School Program and the Healthy Living Schools Program.
The Sun Safe Program, which currently counts over 700 certified facilities, ensures that daycares and pre-schools provide access to shade in outdoor play areas, in addition to educating younger children on the importance of wearing hats and using sunscreen when outdoors.
The Healthy Living Schools Program focuses on educating youth of all ages on tobacco use, diet, exercise and obesity, and the risks of prolonged sun exposure. The program also encourages schools to provide nutritional choices in their lunch programs and cafeteria menus.
“Education is the key to prevention,” says Dr. Simon. “We currently have just over 500 of the approximately 1,700 public and private grade schools in British Columbia certified under the Healthy Living Schools Program. We’d like to assist the remaining schools in becoming certified program members, and we feel a direct, community-based approach is the best way to achieve that, as well as other healthy living targets.”
Building upon the program’s success in the Okanagan, the BC Cancer Agency is currently recruiting coordinators on Vancouver Island, and in northern B.C. This group will effectively coordinate, implement and mobilize strategies for action in cancer control within a geographic region. Particular emphasis will be on creating supportive environments for cancer prevention in communities, achieved through a combination of community action, public education, administration and teamwork.
Dr. Simon hopes to have the coordinators in place by early spring, so that each will take a proactive role in her/his community. Initiatives will be driven by specific community needs, and may include promoting the Healthy Living Schools and Sun Safe programs, along with other cancer prevention initiatives such as the Stop Smoking Before Surgery program, and the Clinical Tobacco Intervention Recognition Program, a series of online courses for health professionals.
“A key goal of the Province is to be the healthiest jurisdiction ever to host an Olympic and Paralympic Games,” says Health Minister George Abbott. “This Cancer Prevention Program supports our goal and complements our ActNow BC plans to help British Columbians make healthy lifestyle choices.”
If you are interested in getting more information about the Cancer Prevention Program, or the position of Community Prevention Coordinator, please contact Kathy Pym at 1.800.663.3333, ex 2545.
For more information, please contact:
Nicole Adams
Public Relations
BC Cancer Agency
T/ 1.800.663.3333, ex 6272
E/ nadams@bccancer.bc.ca
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