Comprehensive Cancer Control Program

Mission

To implement evidence-based interventions and policy, systems and environmental changes to support the primary prevention of cancers, monitor cancer incidence and mortality, promote screening and the early detection of cancer, improve access to treatment, and improve the quality of life for cancer survivors and their caregivers.

This work is accomplished in part through collaboration with community partners such as The Partnership to Reduce Cancer in Rhode Island, Rhode Island’s state-wide cancer coalition, the RI Latino Cancer Control Task Force, and hospital Cancer Committees. Statewide Comprehensive Cancer Control efforts are guided by Rhode Island’s five-year Cancer Prevention and Control Plan.

What we do

  • Primary & Secondary Prevention
    • Promote the primary prevention of cancer, through public education and policy, systems and environmental changes that make healthy behaviors easier to adopt.
    • Support community-based cancer screening and detection initiatives backed by evidence-based guidelines. Support the work and efforts of both the Women's Cancer Screening Program and the Colorectal Cancer Program.
    • Educate health care providers about cancer survivorship issues from diagnosis through long-term treatment effects, and end-of-life care.
    • Form partnerships with trade schools to incorporate cancer prevention education into health and worksite safety training curricula.
  • Monitoring & Surveillance
    • Monitor trends in the incidence and mortality of cancer in Rhode Island through the Rhode Island Cancer Registry.
    • Issue surveillance briefs and educational materials describing the burdens of cancer in Rhode Island.
    • Improve health equity through expanding state-wide cancer surveillance, gathering, analyzing, and disseminating data appropriate to measure disparate cancer risks and burdens of cancer.
  • Policy, Systems, & Environmental Change (PSE) Strategies
    • Support the work of the Partnership to Reduce Cancer in RI.
    • Support community-based cancer prevention and control initiatives.
    • Improve access to palliative care for cancer survivors and their loved ones.
    • Partner with municipalities and recreation settings to add sun-protective features to the physical environment, making sun-protective behaviors easy
    • Support cancer survivors and their caregivers by identifying and promoting cancer survivorship resources that are available in the state.
    • Collaborate with employers and insurers to develop and implement evidence-based initiatives that improve utilization of recommended cancer screening.
    • Publish and update the Rhode Island Cancer Prevention and Control Plan to set cancer control priorities for the state.