Top Accomplishments of Tobacco & Cancer Disparity Networks This Year

Scout, Ph.D.

Director of CenterLink’s Network for LGBT Health Equity

Hey y’all — Daniella and Liz (National LGBT Cancer Network) and I are all down in Atlanta this week for the gathering of all the 50 state cancer program staff. But first, we get a few days to meet with our sister disparity networks. We’re about to come up on our first year anniversary of having this new expanded funding for cancer too. So as part of our introductions, we’re going over our biggest accomplishments of the past year. Thought I’d take notes as best I could to help you see what the different disparity networks have been up to.

If the focus of their network isn’t clear by their name, I’ve put their official focus right after the name.

• Launch their newsletter
• Have a series of webinars, including one with tobacco leadership + one on LGBT outreach
• Convening 9 states for a leadership summit on tobacco and cancer

Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan / American Indian

• Building infrastructure
• Continuing/expanding their webinar series
• Identifying areas they want to grow in the future

RAISE / Asian American/Pacific Islander

• Developed their own website http://www.appealforhealth.org/RAISE
• Launched a blog to highlight their work
• Moving into social media, watch for #RAISEwellness hashtag
• Web portal with culturally specific cancer materials (through partnership)

Patient Advocacy Foundation / low socioeconomic health equity

• They just got the award a few weeks ago, so their biggest accomplishment is getting the award

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) / geographic health equity

• Just funded this year so many of their accomplishments are in building their network
• Doing a lot of theory work, creating a model of change for the work
• Listening sessions from community leadership
• Build new website, new brand
• Held in person symposium gathering needs input
• Forthcoming supplement in 300 newspapers around the country on geographic disparities)

LGBT Network (<– us!)

• launched/curated Wellness page on Huffington Post Gay Voices + weekly top LGBT Wellness news series
• held first National LGBT Cancer Summit
• launched tobacco infographic in conjunction with 50th anniversary Surgeon General’s report (#SGR50), got 14 news stories off that release
• surveyed all community centers for baseline info on existing wellness policies & practices
• launched template wellness needs assessment, currently being used by AR, MI, and forthcoming for WI, VT.
• surveyed community centers to establish baseline of wellness activities/policies
• Coming in days, new website!

National African American Tobacco Prevention Network

• Worked with Chicago to help the City move to restricting selling flavored tobacco (menthol) near public schools.
• Worked with Intercultural Cancer Council to create a weeklong workshop on health disparities
• Hosting a faith based summit to educate leadership on tobacco & cancer disparity issues.

National Alliance for Hispanic Health

• Establishment of national advisory committee
• Development of network website (launch in 10 days)
• Worked with their national partners to conduct an environmental scan in 10 different states