By Monica Bryant, ESQ.
Midwest Regional Director, The Cancer Legal Resource Center
As many of us know, cancer is not a battle that is won alone. Federal and state governments recognize this and have come up with a plan. Each state, tribe, and territory, with the support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NCCCP), has been charged with creating a Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan.
These plans will outline the various steps that cancer community stakeholders can take in both the short and long term, to implement a plan to reduce the burden of cancer, increase prevention and education strategies, and to engage governments, businesses, public and private health care industries, non-profit organizations, and individuals in the fight against cancer.
In 2002, the NCCCP created guidelines for these Comprehensive Cancer Control Plans (CCCP) that can be found here: www.cdc.gov/cancer/ncccp/pdf/Guidance-Guidelines.pd
Many of these plans include steps that can be taken in the area of advocacy, including educating your elected officials about how cancer affects people in your community
Since the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) on March 23, 2010, many states have decided to review and revise their existing CCCPs to include steps necessary to implement the ACA.
As an example, California recently released their revised 2011-2015 CCCP, which can be found at http://cdoc-online.org/images/stories/CaliforniaCancerPlan2011-2015_Download.pdf
To find your state’s Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan, visit the CDC at www.cdc.gov/cancer/ncccp or contact the CLRC at 866-THE-CLRC
Learn about what you can do in the fight against cancer in your state.
