Colorectal Cancer Survivorship in Greene County, Pennsylvania:

1
Colorectal Cancer Survivorship in Greene County,
Pennsylvania  Assessment and Provider
EducationMary Ann Ealy, Marlene Shaw and Carolyn
Wissenbach

• Plan
• Develop a strategy to improve colorectal cancer
  survival and improve quality of life for those
  diagnosed with the disease.
• Methods
• Community Assessment (surveys
• and key informant interviews)
• Assets (resources) inventory
• Development of a directory of local,
• state and national resources
• Health care provider dinner and education
• Dissemination of resource guide through
  providers
• Evaluation

• Problem
• Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a significant health
  problem in Greene County. With a death rate
  higher than the national rate and the Healthy
  People 2010 goal, CRC is also diagnosed at a
  later stage when it is less curable.

• Background
• The Greene County Cancer Coalition was formed in
  1999 with support from Penn State Cooperative
  Extension, community agencies and citizens and
  guidance from the Northern Appalachian Leadership
  Initiative on Cancer. Currently a subcommittee of
  the Physical Health Committee of Greene County
  MAGIC (Making a Great Impact Collectively), the
  countys State Health Improvement Partnership
  (SHIP), the group aims to improve community
  health through education and coordination of
  resources. Over the past eight years, the
  coalition has hosted a variety of community
  outreach, education and screenings events focused
  on the following cancers
• breast
• colorectal
• prostate
• skin.

• Participant surveys showed of the 13 healthcare
  providers attending the education program, 10
  (77) completed evaluations.
• All reported a high level
• of knowledge gained
• regarding hereditary
• factors.
• 9 (90) reported a high
• level of knowledge gained about screening.
• All agreed the materials provided were useful.
• 6 (60) reported continuing medical education
• credits influenced their attendance.
• All reported that they would attend again
• Conclusions
• A locally hosted dinner was an effective method
  of
• informing providers with CRC medical education
  
• and new materials
• Collaborative partnerships were essential to
  the
• success of local provider education on CRC.

• County Facts
• Located in the southwest
• corner of Pennsylvania
• Population just over 40,000
• Nearly 69 of the population live in rural areas
• Predominantly white (95.4)
• Median age - 39 years
• Classified as distressed by the Appalachian
• Regional Commission

Speaker, Linda M. Farkus, MD, Director of
Hereditary Colorectal Tumor Program, Division on
Surgical Oncology, Assistant Professor of
Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine, is shown with coalition chair, Carolyn
Wissenbach at Strykers Grill in Waynesburg, PA on
April 12, 2007 .