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MCC Spirit of Collaboration Awards,
By Year - 2002

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2002 MCC Spirit of Collaboration Awards
ACCESS-Wayne County BCCCP Recruitment Initiative
Characteristics of Patients Who Enter Clinical Trials
The Michigan Partnership for the Advancement of End-of-Life Care
Michigan Working Group to Improve Cancer Outcomes
Upper Peninsula "Youth for Truth" Counter Tobacco Media Program
West Michigan Colon Cancer Consortium

For the second year, the Michigan Cancer Consortium has presented its highest honor — the MCC Spirit of Collaboration Award — to member organizations that have done outstanding collaborative work to significantly move comprehensive cancer control activities forward in our state. During the 2002 MCC Annual Meeting, the following organizations were presented with 2002 MCC Spirit of Collaboration awards in recognition of their exceptional work leading collaborative efforts on behalf of the MCC Initiative.


ACCESS-Wayne County BCCCP Recruitment Initiative
MCC priority objective addressed: Colorectal Cancer

Collaborative partners in the project:

Project description: The Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) and the Wayne County Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program, administered by the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, have partnered over the past six years to promote breast and cervical cancer screening, follow up, and treatment services for medically underserved women in the ACCESS community. Having reached 50 women in 1996, the program has grown to screen a projected 800 women in 2002, with a target of 1,500 in 2003.

Critical elements for this successful collaboration include culturally sensitive community and home-based recruitment by ACCESS and mobile mammography provided by the Karmanos/Detroit Medical Center Breast Program.

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Characteristics of Patients Who Enter Clinical Trials
MCC priority objective addressed: Colorectal Cancer

Collaborative partners in the project:

Project description: A priority objective of the MCC is to double the number and increase the diversity of patients entered into clinical trials. Toward this end, a collaborative multi-site research initiative among five diverse oncology settings was undertaken.

Using a descriptive survey research design, the project sought to identify, among patients who had been offered a Phase II or III clinical trial as a option in cancer treatment, the primary motivating factors for either agreeing or refusing to participate in a clinical trial. Further, the project sought to explore:

  1. whether certain patient and trial characteristics were associated with decisions regarding participation, and
  2. whether any differences were noted in satisfaction in care between those who agreed and those who refused participation and elected standard treatment.

The project demanded extraordinary internal and external collaboration, from developing new mechanisms for case finding potential participants (i.e., those who refused trials), to the development of a research infrastructure positioned to test new hypotheses for increasing participation in clinical trials research.

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The Michigan Partnership for the Advancement of End-of-Life Care
MCC priority objective addressed: Colorectal Cancer

Collaborative partners in the project:

Project description: The Michigan Partnership for the Advancement of End-of-Life Care is a collaborative body of 40 member organizations dedicated to improving the accessibility, quality and timeliness of end-of-life care for Michigan residents.

The Partnership has focused its major efforts on community education, health professional preparatory education, and quality improvement in long-term care facilities.

This past year, members of the Partnership were influential in:

  1. the passage of 15 new laws aimed at reducing barriers to end-of-life care;
  2. initiating and supporting the statewide introduction of process guidelines for pain management and end-of-life care in nursing facilities; and
  3. developing and implementing a well-received collaborative community education model.

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Michigan Working Group to Improve Cancer Outcomes
MCC priority objective addressed: Colorectal Cancer

Collaborative partners in the project:

Project description: The Michigan Working Group to Improve Cancer Outcomes is focused on the advancement of cancer care for Michigan's cancer patients.

One of this collaboration's major accomplishments this past year was a signed agreement by insurers and purchasers for coverage of routine health care costs associated with those patients participating in clinical trials. This was announced at a press conference at the Michigan State Capitol building in February 2002.

The active involvement of payer representatives as stakeholders in cancer care was crucial to the success of the initiative.

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Upper Peninsula "Youth for Truth" Counter Tobacco Media Program
MCC priority objective addressed: Colorectal Cancer

Collaborative partners in the project:

  • Media Sponsors:
    • ABC 5/10
    • Action Shopper
    • K-ROCK
    • Marquette Monthly
    • Mature Citizen
    • Mining Journal
    • Radio Results Network
    • U.P. Women Today
    • WLUC - TV6
    • WMQT - FM
    • WNMU - TV 13

Project description: The Upper Peninsula "Youth for Truth" project was a collaborative effort that involved more than 20 community organizations and greatly utilized local media. This unique project provided youth with an opportunity to become community leaders in a collaborative effort to reduce smoking among young people and reduce exposure to secondhand smoke.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Tobacco-Free Michigan Action Coalition (TFMAC) provided financial support for this collaboration, with matching funds provided by local community foundations. In addition, local media provided, at a minimum, reduced advertising rates and at least a one-to-one match. With this support, the campaign was able to reach a funding level of $1.00 per capita in several Upper Peninsula counties.

The youth involved in this project also evaluated its effectiveness. They believe that it is possible for local communities to develop similar projects.

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West Michigan Colon Cancer Consortium
MCC priority objective addressed: Colorectal Cancer

Collaborative partners in the project:

Project description: The West Michigan Colon Cancer Consortium (WMCCC - formerly the Community Colon Cancer Screening Group) is an independent, grassroots, community-based organization in West Michigan. The mission of the group is to decrease incidence and mortality from colon cancer through education and access to colon cancer screening.

The members of the WMCCC are involved because they truly believe in the mission of the group. This collaboration began over five years ago as a group of concerned healthcare providers who met to discuss access issues for colon cancer screening in the underserved population. Since then, WMCCC has blossomed and has been able to provide annual community-wide colon cancer screening events during March, Colon Cancer Awareness Month.

To date, more than 400 risk assessments have been done, a total of 100 patients have been screened by flexible sigmoidoscopy, and 15 patients have been identified with polyps and referred for follow up with full colonoscopy. WMCCC also assisted an uninsured, symptomatic patient (referred through the community referral mechanism) with accessing colonscopy. This patient was subsequently treated for colon cancer.

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last updated:01/05/05

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