Health PEI’s new Provincial Cancer Coordinator will play an important role in connecting Islanders with important cancer care and control services, says Minister of Health and Wellness Doug Currie.
“As we recognize April as national cancer awareness month, the burden of cancer across Prince Edward Island is top of mind for government, Health PEI and Islanders,” says Currie. “The addition of a Provincial Cancer Coordinator will help strengthen the efforts of our health care system and community stakeholders as they come together to reduce the impact of cancer on Islanders.”
The new Provincial Cancer Coordinator will support the development, implementation and evaluation of a three-year continuation of the existing cancer strategy for Prince Edward Island being developed by the Provincial Cancer Coordination Steering Committee. The committee was formed earlier this year at the direction of the Department of Health and Wellness and Health PEI.
Expected to be complete this summer, the cancer strategy will strive to ensure patients have efficient and effective access to cancer care, make better use of resources, and provide direction and action-oriented plans to address cancer trends on Prince Edward Island.
“Our cancer trends show that the burden of cancer is continuing to grow, due in part to an aging population and growing rates of Islanders with high-risk behaviors such smoking and obesity,” says Marla Delaney, Provincial Cancer Coordinator for Health PEI. “A great effort is now underway to provide a coordinated approach to cancer that is patient-centered and covers the spectrum of cancer control, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and end-of-life care.”
Key action groups are being established to focus on the four leading types of cancer on Prince Edward Island: breast, prostate, colorectal and lung. The goal is to better understand the trends for these cancers and what can be done to reduce rates of incidence and mortality from these diseases.
“We are committed to reducing the burden of cancer on Prince Edward Island,” added Currie. “The work being done by the committee will position us to provide patient-centered programs and services that help Islanders stay healthy and cancer-free.”
Background:
The Provincial Cancer Coordination Steering Committee was formed in early 2014 under the direction of the Department of Health and Wellness and Health PEI. Chaired by Dr. Ethan Laukkanen, Radiation Oncologist, the committee membership includes physicians and representatives from the Chief Public Health Office, the PEI Cancer Treatment Centre, Acute Care, Palliative Care, Community Health, Primary Care, and the Canadian Cancer Society.