Arkansas Cancer Coalition

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MINI GRANTS

Fiscal Year 2019 Awarded Grants

FY 2019 FALL: October 1, 2018 – April 30, 2019

Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House

Program:  Skin Cancer Prevention Programs: TASDT & Sun SMART 

Funding Amount:  $4,423.72 

Counties Served:  Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Polk, Scott, Sebastian, and Yell 

Focus Area(s):  Skin Cancer 

Mini Grant Type: Cancer Control

Summary:  According to the American Cancer Society, between 2015 and 2018 the State of Arkansas experienced an 86% increase in the expected new cases of melanoma.  Excessive exposure to the sun and tanning bed use are among the major risk factors to melanoma.  To fulfill the part of our mission to provide education for the early detection of cancer, The Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House (DWRCSH) developed the Sun SMART and Take a Stand, Don’t Tan programs to promote protective behaviors from sun and UV exposure for the prevention of skin cancer, especially among area youth. 

The Sun SMART strategies are: Slip on a hat, t-shirt and sunglasses, Move to the shade, Apply sunscreen (at least a 30 spf), Reapply sunscreen every few hours, and Tell your friends to be Sun SMART.   

Since its inception in 2010, DWRCSH, has delivered the Sun SMART message to nearly 5,000 individuals each year. To continue this skin cancer prevention program, the 2019 Sun SMART program will include the distribution of the Sun SMART message to 3,000 area youth along with tools to help them remain Sun SMART.  These tools may include sunscreen packets, UV awareness bands, sunglasses, and informational cards with the Sun SMART message.  The program will also include the distribution of sunscreen gallons at local pools, recreational areas, and summer programs.  Additional marketing of the program with the placement of signs at local area partners such as: area schools, summer programs, pools, parks, and other outdoor recreational areas.  

In 2017, DWRCSH developed the Take a Stand, Don’t Tan (TASDT) to bring the message of the dangers of tanning beds to local high school students.  This program, presented in area high school health classes includes video testimonials of young skin cancer survivors and their struggles with skin cancer as the result of tanning bed usage.  Students are invited to sign a pledge to make wise choices for the health of their skin including being Sun SMART and not using tanning beds.  Since the spring of 2017 the program has been repeated in area high schools three times and has been delivered to over 1,000 students, with 757 of them signing the Take a Stand, Don’t Tan pledge. The 2018-2019 TASDT program will include presentations at local high schools to at least 700 students, which will include the distribution of informational rack cards and the opportunity for students to sign the TADST pledge, committing to making healthy choices to protect their skin against the harmful effects of UV radiation indoors and outdoors.    

Contact:  

Susan Steffens 
3324 South M Street 
Fort Smith, AR 72903 

Harding University College of Pharmacy

Program:  Harding Univ. College of Pharmacy Health Screenings 

Funding Amount:  $5,500 

Counties Served:  Statewide 

Focus Area(s):  Prevention 

Mini Grant Type: Cancer Control

Summary:  At Harding University, student pharmacists work directly with patients of varied backgrounds through our Pharmacy Service Learning program as well as through the Patient Caring program. The following screenings are offered throughout the year: height/weight/BMI, blood glucose, blood pressure, carbon monoxide, lung spirometry, hemoglobin A1c, and full cholesterol panel including triglycerides. The impact is great as we average about 2000 patient encounters per academic year.  

Specifically, we have worked with the Arkansas Cancer Coalition for the past several years in support of the health screenings provided at the Arkansas State Fair.  

This year, Harding will run all aspects of the screenings for the ACC State Fair booth. We anticipate 650 patient encounters at this event alone. With funding from the Arkansas Cancer Coalition, Harding University College of Pharmacy will purchase testing supplies to continue these screenings.  

Contact: 

Jeanie Smith 
915 E. Market Ave, Box 12230 
Searcy, Arkansas 72149 

Little Rock Chapter, Links Incorporated

Program:  Move Your Body Community Forum “Level Up” Project 

Funding Amount:  $4,576.28 

Counties Served:  Statewide 

Focus Area(s):  Prevention 

Mini Grant Type: Cancer Control

Summary:  Obesity is a major health problem in the state of Arkansas.  Arkansas has the third highest obesity rate in the nation with the adult obesity rate in 2016 being 35.7%.  It is associated with more than 20 chronic diseases and health conditions that negatively impact health resulting in health complications and increased mortality. It is projected that in 2030, there will be approximately 116,050 cases of obesity-related cancer in Arkansas. 

Physical activity is essential for preventing cancer and other chronic diseases. The Links, Incorporated, is working to combat cancer by improving individuals’ health through diet and exercise.  With the recent changes in the guidelines for the diagnosis and management of hypertension, the Links, Incorporated plan to educate the community on these changes.  Lifestyle modifications, particularly exercise, play a crucial role in treating and, most importantly, preventing this disease that can have devastating consequences on the individual and the community.  Additionally, the organization plans to strengthen cancer control in Arkansas through dietary interventions, health, and physical fitness. 

This program will aim to launch a year-long diet and exercise program by partnering with LA Fitness in Little Rock Arkansas to track the exercise progress of 50 out of 100 participants by usage of a uniquely identifiable code that will be scanned upon each visit. Links Incorporated will educate approximately 300 residents in the local area on the importance of how a healthy diet and physical activity can help reduce the risk of developing cancer and chronic related diseases. 

Contact:  

Lana Nayles 
P.O. Box 56021 
Little Rock, AR 72215 
 

Ministry of Intercession

Program:  Youth Intervention Counter Marketing Tobacco Education Program 

Funding Amount:  $4,825 

Counties Served:  Pulaski 

Focus Area(s):  Lung Cancer 

Mini Grant Type: Tobacco Control

Summary:  According to the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), there is an alarming rate of tobacco use among Arkansas youth with 13.9% of youth using electronic vapor products; 14.1% smoke cigars, 12.7% use of smokeless products, and 26.7% of youth purchasing their own tobacco products from local stores.  In southwest Little Rock, the number of stores that sell tobacco products to youth include liquor stores, beverage shops, supermarkets, e z food marts and gas stations; and one of the largest billboard advertisers of tobacco products targeting youth in this area is Lamar Advertising.  Ministry of Intercession has been providing tobacco education for a number of years targeting youth ages 13-19 years old who live in southwest Little Rock, Arkansas.   

In an effort to increase the barriers to access tobacco products and electronic smoking devices and to promote tobacco abstinence among youths, Ministry of Intercession will engage and empower youth to understand the different strategies that tobacco industry uses to target youth. Ministry of Intercession will offer a counter-marketing educational outreach program that offers monthly workshops that will teach students about media literacy skills by examining tobacco campaigns such as movie clips, TV commercials, magazine ads and investigating the truth initiatives from the tobacco documents library.  Sessions will teach youth how to counter advertisement by exposing retail stores to tobacco marketing and advertising and the damaging effects of these strategies.  The project will result in the youth developing a media advocacy kit that includes editorials and letters to local policy-makers and editorial letter to two tobacco companies to help reduce the impact of marketing tobacco products to youth in southwest Little Rock. 

Contact: 

Rev. Ronald Wilkerson  
3409 Baseline 
Little Rock, AR 72209 

American Cancer Society

Program: Transportation

Funding Amount:  $3,500 

Counties Served:  Faulkner, Garland, Lonoke, Pulaski, Saline, and White 

Focus Area(s):  Survivorship 

Mini Grant Type: Transportation

Summary:  Every day thousands of cancer patients need a ride to treatment, but some may not have a way to get there. The American Cancer Society seeks to eliminate the barrier to care that transportation poses by offering patients no-cost transportation to and from treatment and diagnostic services. 

The American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program provides transportation to and from treatment for people with cancer who do not have a ride or are unable to drive themselves.  One program serves Central Arkansas and the other serves Garland County.  When a patient needs a ride to an appointment and a volunteer driver is available the volunteer will take the patient.  However, there are many times drivers are not available, patients live too far away, or there is not enough notice.  

The American Cancer Society has established a partnership with a cab company who will provide rides to patients when there are no volunteer drivers available. The cab company is available on short notice. All the rides with our vendor are arranged through our call center.  We are able to track patient information and our vendor also provides documentation of each trip including: name, date, pick up/drop off location, time, and cost. ACC funds from the Transportation Mini Grant will be used to establish a fund to pay for rides for more patients provided by the cab vendor.   

Contact: 

Christy McCreight 
901 N University Ave 
Little Rock, AR 72207 

Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House

Program:  Cancer Support House Transportation Program

Funding Amount:  $3,500

Counties Served:  Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Polk, Scott, Sebastian, and Yell 

Focus Area(s):  Survivorship

Mini Grant Type: Transportation

Summary:  The mission of the Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House (DWRCSH) is to provide cost-free, non-medical support programs and services to cancer patients and their family members, and to provide educational programs to the community in support of early detection of cancer. A priority for the patients served at DWRCSH, is transportation assistance to receive their needed treatments.  

Year after year the need for gas cards grows. Gas prices are so unpredictable, yet, even with the current lower prices, fuel is still a luxury item purchase which makes the cost of transportation especially difficult for those cancer patients living on low and fixed incomes who are traveling from the rural counties to receive cancer treatment. A patient traveling 60 miles round trip daily for several weeks to receive radiation treatments could easily spend $150 or more in out-of-pocket expense for gas alone.  

Fuel cost can be a considerable barrier to treatment, but distributing gas cards is one way DWRCSH works to reduce or remove this barrier. With this funding from the Arkansas Cancer Coalition, DWRCSH will provide gas cards in $10 increments to at least 100 qualified patients during the weeks they are in treatment.  

Contact:  

Susan Steffens 
3324 South M Street 
Fort Smith, AR 72903 

Hope Cancer Resources

Program:  Patient Transportation Assistance

Funding Amount:  $3,500

Counties Served:  Benton, Carroll, Madison, and Washington

Focus Area(s):  Survivorship

Mini Grant Type: Transportation

Summary:  Hope Cancer Resources’ support services help bridge the gap between sophisticated medical care and practical everyday needs of individual patients and their families. According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s recent workforce analysis, only 3% of medical oncologists practice in rural areas, whereas 20% of the U.S. population resides in rural areas. Patients without cars are highly dependent on public transportation, yet only 2% of federal funding goes towards public transportation. Therefore, patients who live in rural areas of our region and do not drive or have reliable transportation may be unable to receive cancer treatment.  

As part of the comprehensive cancer care in Northwest Arkansas, Hope Cancer Resources serves as a safety net to alleviate one of the most significant barriers in cancer treatment – transportation to and from appointments for radiation, chemotherapy, and other appointments. Hope Cancer Resources has a memorandum of understanding with Highlands Oncology Group and Landmark Cancer Center. Our social workers have offices within these clinics which allows our staff to assess newly diagnosed patients face-to-face and provide support services according to need. When a social worker identifies transportation or finances as a barrier to a patient’s care, we provide the necessary resources to help ensure every patient has access to care. For patients who express a financial burden with transportation, we provide gas cards to meet their travel needs once an assistance application is approved. 

In 2017, Hope Cancer Resources provided 261 patients with transportation and 517 patients with gas cards. Already in 2018, Hope Cancer Resources is transporting 29% more patients and 11% more are receiving financial assistance with gas cards.  

Contact:  

Christy Scarrow 
5835 West Sunset Avenue 
Springdale, AR 72762 

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