According to the American Cancer Society, much of the suffering and death from cancer could be prevented by increasing the use of established screening tests and addressing lifestyle factors such as tobacco use, diet and physical activity.
Nearly every person in the United States is affected by cancer — whether through getting preventative cancer screenings, supporting a loved one who has cancer or coping with a personal cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Health care providers have a unique and powerful role in shaping the cancer experience from initial screening through treatment and follow-up care.
DMU has partnered with the American Cancer Society, Iowa Cancer Consortium, John Stoddard Cancer Center, Mercy Cancer Center — Des Moines and Iowa Department of Public Health to earn grant funding for cancer screening tools and the integration of palliative care into the treatment process. The partnerships focus on connecting health care providers with screening and surveillance guidelines, up-to-date and high-quality screening methods, professional and effective communication skills and palliative care resources.
Two of the many goals of these long-term partnerships are improving patient-centered communication and reaching a colorectal cancer screening rate of 80 percent in Iowa by 2018.
DMU’s continuing medical education (CME) program is offering several educational opportunities as part of the partnerships. Check out the schedule and all CME events at cme.dmu.edu.
