Partnership looks to increase cancer screenings for American Indian community

Press release:

North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs Membership

Sign American Cancer Society’s ’80% by 2018’ Pledge:

Partnership to Help Close the Gap for Colon Cancer Screenings in Disparate Communities

Raleigh, NC – On June 2, 2017, the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs Membership put pen to paper, signing the American Cancer Society ’80% by ‘18’ Pledge, declaring their commitment to promote colorectal cancer screening within the American Indian community.

“Community leaders from all over the state voted unanimously to take steps to eliminate colorectal cancer as a major public health problem,” said Greg Richardson, Executive Director, NC Commission of Indian Affairs. “Working together to increase screening ultimately prevents lives from being lost to colorectal cancer.” The Commission of Indian Affairs consists of 21 representatives of the American Indian community, two representatives appointed by the General Assembly, one representative or their designee appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Administration, the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources and the Commissioner of Labor.

The number of men and women 50–75 years within the colorectal cancer screening age range served by NC Commission of Indian Affairs is 23,110. The anticipated project will serve all American Indian tribes of North Carolina, including one federally recognized tribe and seven state recognized tribes. The federally recognized tribe is the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and the state recognized tribes are the Coharie Indian Tribe, Haliwa-Saponi Tribe, Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Meherrin Nation, Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, Sappony Indian Tribe, and Waccamaw Siouan Tribe.

The NC Commission of Indian Affairs maintains an ongoing relationship with American Cancer Society through participation in our signature event, Relay for Life and other mission programs. “We at the American Cancer Society are excited about the commitment, and look forward to an ongoing relationship with the Commission through this important opportunity to support increasing awareness and decrease colorectal cancer disparities” said Health Systems Manager for Primary Care, Dorothea Brock. One key component of the action plan is to collect information about CRC screening in the American Indian community that would supply vital information not only to the American Cancer Society, but also to the Commission of Indian Affairs as it fulfils its mission to provide aid and protection to North Carolina’s American Indians and to serve as a voice for and to the American Indian population.

Angela Esteva of the American Cancer Society Triangle Leadership Council says, “This initiative took life in 2015, as the result of a good friend, tribal chief and colon cancer survivor, who asked me how the American Cancer Society could help his community which was slowly succumbing to a very high incidence and mortality cancer rate. NC has the sixth largest American Indian population in the nation. With this unanimous consensus amongst the tribal leadership, we’ll be able to impact over 130,000 lives throughout the state and THIS is the beginning of saving a community.”