Lung Cancer Prevention, Control, and Survivorship with Business and Community Engagement

Kentucky has the highest rates of Lung Cancer incidence and mortality in the nation. In addition, Kentucky has some of the highest rates of poverty and lowest rates of literacy in the nation. Since 2003, Dr. Jennifer Redmond Knight has worked with the Kentucky Cancer Program (KCP) at the University of Kentucky (UK) and the University of Louisville (U of L) to address local and regional cancer control issues in Kentucky. Since 2006, she has provided leadership for the Kentucky Cancer Consortium (KCC), Kentucky’s statewide comprehensive cancer control coalition, which involves more than 70 statewide and multi-regional organizations, including KCP, working together to implement a statewide cancer plan. In 2013, she created a Lung Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Network as part of the KCC focused on reducing the burden of lung cancer in a collaborative and strategic way considering policy, systems and environmental changes needed in Kentucky. In 2014, Dr. Knight began serving Co-PI for the Kentucky LEADS (Lung Cancer Education, Awareness, Detection and Survivorship) Component 3 grant focused on Lung Cancer Prevention and Early Detection. She also works closely with the other two KY LEADS components focused on provider education and survivorship. KCP at UK and U of L has Regional Cancer Control Specialists who live and work in the communities where they serve. They lead District Cancer Councils (DCCs) in each Area Development District where community partners from diverse sectors meet together at least annually to find ways to coordinate and collaborate on priority cancer control issues. These DCCs will be the basis for the Kentucky Lung Cancer Health Equity Roundtables and Focus Groups. In addition, KCP has had experience working with worksites, including blue-collar worksites, in rural areas focused on increasing colon cancer screening and access to tobacco treatment opportunities in the community. The KCC has been actively involved in educational opportunities for local, regional and statewide partners particularly related to survivorship, tobacco treatment and smoke-free environments. KCC is planning to host a tobacco treatment specialist certification in Spring 2016, which will be promoted widely to the counties participating in this project as well as the rest of the state. In addition, both KCC and KCP are part of a statewide Cancer Control Leadership Team led by Dr. Knight who is contracted by the Kentucky Department of Public Health to bring together CDC-funded organizations and others focused primarily on cancer control to improve coordination and communication. This Team is hosting a statewide cancer Summit in November 2016. All counties involved in this project will be encouraged to participate in the Summit and share lessons learned with other partners and colleagues across the state. Through the University of Kentucky infrastructure, the Kentucky Cancer Program is well poised to serve as the SelfMade Health Network (SMN) Regional Resource Lead Organization in Southern Kentucky in collaboration with the Kentucky Cancer Consortium.