Go directly to:

Every year since 2001, 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 2005 MCC Annual Meeting, the following organizations were presented with 2005 MCC Spirit of Collaboration-Honorable Mention awards in recognition of their exceptional work leading collaborative efforts on behalf of the MCC Initiative.

Breast Health and Vietnamese Women: Reaching the Community in Need
MCC priority objective addressed: Breast Cancer

Collaborative partners in the project:

• CK & Company Media Productions
• Early Detections Work, Sedgwick County Health Department, Wichita, KS
• Grand Rapids Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation
• The Asian Center, Grand Rapids, Michigan
• The Lacks Cancer Center at Saint Mary’s Health Care
• Vietnamese Public Radio, Washington, DC
• Vietnamese Public TV, Falls Church, VA
• Voices For Health

Project description: The Lacks Cancer Center at Saint Mary’s Health Care partnered with Voices For Health, CK & Company Media Productions, and the Vietnamese community in west Michigan to develop the culturally specific breast health video/DVD for Vietnamese women Sức Khỏe Phụ Nữ và Hạnh Phúc Gia Ðình: Do Khám Ung Thư Vú© (Women’s Health and Family Happiness: Screening for Breast Cancer©).

This project was formed in response to a community assessment conducted by the Grand Rapids Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation that identified the need for breast health information for Asian women. The Vietnamese population was targeted for this project because west Michigan has the largest concentration of Vietnamese living in Michigan and because health care providers have a high volume of requests for translation/interpretation services for Vietnamese patients. Community participatory strategies were employed throughout this project resulting in the building of relationships for the dissemination and evaluation of the
video/DVD. Additional funding for the dissemination of the video was received from the National Library of Medicine.

Planned next steps for this collaborative project: 1) complete a final evaluation of the video/DVD; 2) identify an appropriate method of dissemination; 3) evaluate whether or not Vietnamese women who watch the video/DVD get screened for breast cancer.

Return to top of page

Huron Valley Area Service Center Colorectal Cancer Awareness Networks
MCC priority objective addressed: Colorectal Cancer

Collaborative partners in the project:

• American Cancer Society, Great Lakes Division, Inc.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
• Cancer Information Service, National Cancer Institute, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
• CareChoices
• Community members
• Eastern Michigan University
• Edward Surovell Realtors
• Frenchtown Senior Citizens Center
• Healthy Asian Americans Project, University of Michigan School of Nursing
• Huron Gastroenterology Associates
• M-Care
• Mercy Memorial Hospital
• Michigan Association of Health Plans
• Monroe Cancer Connection
• NSF International
• Pfizer Inc.
• School of Nursing, Eastern Michigan University
• St. Joseph Mercy Cancer Care Center
• University of Michigan University Students Against Cancer
• University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Washtenaw County Public Health Department

Project description: In 2002, a statewide Colorectal Cancer Awareness Network (CRAN) was established to promote collaborative efforts that would raise awareness of colorectal cancer and the need for screening. By 2004, a need was identified to more fully embed CRAN into Michigan’s communities through the development of regional CRANs, which would be responsible for increasing public awareness efforts and maximizing outreach at the community level.

The Great Lakes Division of the American Cancer Society (ACS), a partner in the original CRAN initiative, volunteered to take the lead in establishing CRANs in 11 regions (pilot sites). These 11 ACS Area Service Centers were charged with bringing local groups and organizations together to form community-based CRANs.

The ACS’s Huron Valley Area Service Center (HVASC), which serves Livingston, Monroe, and Washtenaw counties, is one of the pilot sites for the regional CRAN effort. The HVASC formed two CRANs: the CRAN of Washtenaw County and the Monroe County CRAN. These CRANs have held several meetings, brought in speakers, distributed promotional materials, involved legislators in their activities, participated in the ACS Relay for Life, and
received news coverage.

An important lesson learned from these collaborative efforts is that people want to get involved and fight cancer in their communities. These two pilot regional CRANs provided the vehicle!

Return to top of page

The Michigan Basic Pathology Lexicon Project
MCC priority objective addressed: Basic Lexicon

Collaborative partners in the project:

• Aleda E. Lutz Veterans Administration Medical Center - Saginaw
• Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute/Detroit Medical Center/Harper University Hospital
• CAP Labs - Lansing
• Covenant Health Care – Saginaw
• Detroit Medical Center
• Harper University Hospital
• Hickman Cancer Center at Bixby Medical Center
• Ingham Regional Medical Center
• Marquette General Hospital
• Michigan Department of Community Health, Cancer Prevention and Control Section
• Michigan Department of Community Health, Cancer Surveillance Program
• Michigan Public Health Institute Cancer Control Services Program
• Michigan Society of Pathologists
• Michigan State University, Department of Epidemiology
• Michigan State University, Division of Hematology and Oncology, College of Human Medicine
• Pathology Outlines, LLC
• Spectrum Health Cancer Program
• The Lacks Cancer Center at Saint Mary’s Health Care
• University of Michigan Health System, Department of Pathology
• University of Michigan Health System
• Upper Peninsula Health Care Network
• Upper Peninsula Hematology/Oncology Associates
• Van Andel Research Institute
• Wayne State University, School of Medicine
• William Beaumont Hospital, Department of Anatomic Pathology
• Wisdom to Wellness, Inc.

Project description: From its beginnings in 2003, the goal of this project has been to produce and implement statewide a field-tested basic pathology lexicon template for breast, colorectal and prostate cancers for the purpose of improving the completeness and quality of pathology reports.

From 2004 to 2005, the templates were expanded, evaluated and revised as appropriate for the most common cancers. On Sept. 21, 2005 the MCC Board of Directors approved field-tested templates and the process for regularly reviewing and updating the templates.

Next steps for this collaborative project will involve disseminating the templates and documenting the change in Michigan pathology lab reporting practices.

Return to top of page

Mobile Mammography Project
MCC priority objective addressed: Breast Cancer

Collaborative partners in the project:

• Total Health Care, Inc.
• Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute Mobile Mammography Unit
• New Bethel Baptist Church
• Brightmoor Medical Center
• Fellowship Chapel

Project description: In 2005, Total Health Care, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute’s Mobile Mammography Unit, and Detroit area churches and providers worked together to improve community access to health care. Specifically, mammograms were provided to Total Health Care plan members and offered free to church members who did not have health insurance. Screening events were publicized in various ways: flyers, mailings to health plan members, newsletter articles, and through church publicity efforts.

Return to top of page

The William Beaumont Hospital-Royal Oak Expedited Breast Diagnosis Project
MCC priority objective addressed: Breast Cancer

William Beaumont Hospital-Royal Oak collaborative partners in the project:

• Breast Imaging Center radiologists
• Technologists
• Registered nurses
• Breast care coordinators
• Clerical staff
• Hospital administration
• Radiology administration
• Legal Affairs
• Compliance officer
• Information Services
• Appointment Center
• Referring physicians

Project description: In 1999, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Care Advisory Committee published reports entitled The New Quality Standard – Managing Primary Breast Cancer Screening through Local Treatment and Redefining the Patient Experience in Breast Cancer Care. These two publications indicated that patients who have been diagnosed with a breast abnormality reported that the single most important attribute of a health care system was its ability to quickly identify a breast abnormality, take a biopsy, and inform the patient of the results (time from mammogram to tissue diagnosis).

William Beaumont Hospital-Royal Oak found that it is possible to significantly reduce the time it takes to inform the patient of the diagnosis by implementing changes in an institution’s imaging/biopsy algorithm, thereby markedly improving patient satisfaction and convenience.

More exactly, as a result of extensive internal collaborative efforts, the time from mammogram to informing the patient of the diagnosis was reduced from 40 days to seven days for stereotactic core biopsies, and from 43 days to two days for ultrasound guided core biopsies. (Note: this data applies to women taking first available appointments.)

Return to top of page
last updated: 03/14/06

Washington Square Building, 5th Floor · 109 Michigan Ave. · Lansing, Michigan USA 48913 Toll-Free: (877) 588-6224 · Fax: (517) 335-9397 ·