Welcome To Our Web Site

Vermonters Taking Action Against Cancer (VTAAC) offers the power of collaboration to what otherwise might be a lonely fight.

Created in 2005, VTAAC is responsible for putting the Vermont Cancer Plan into action by preventing overlap and directing resources to where they matter most in our state. Our activities are focused on reaching our ultimate goal: reducing the burden of cancer for all Vermonters.

VTAAC is a growing network of groups and individuals that speaks with one voice about reducing cancer risk, detecting cancers earlier, creating better access to quality cancer treatment, and improving the quality of life for cancer survivors.

We hope our site will be a resource for those seeking more information on cancer-related activities throughout the state.

For more information on VTAAC, contact: David Cranmer, VTAAC Coordinator at info@vtaac.org, or call 802-872-6303.

VTAAC provides a forum for collaboration, engagement and sharing of resources for individuals and organizations concerned about cancer in Vermont.

August 13th, 2010

Save The Dates

August 31st, 2010

MDI Launches Web-Based Tool for End-of-Life Care

Madison-Deane Initiative (MDI), a program of the Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties (VNA), announces the launch of a new website designed to help individuals and families find information and resources about palliative and end-of-life care.  Vermont Palliative and End-of-Life Care Resource Connections, www.vtpcrc.org, was created by MDI with support from the Vermont Palliative Care Council and the University of Vermont College of Medicine.

Designed for lay people and professionals alike, the Vermont Palliative and End-of-Life Care Resource Connections website offers valuable information and connects people to end-of-life care resources available in Vermont. Patients, their families and their caregivers can learn about palliative and hospice care options, get reliable information, find community services, locate providers, access supports and identify learning opportunities.

“Those of us who are dedicated to providing the best possible care for people with life limiting and life ending medical conditions are indebted to MDI. This new website is a great way to get the message out – we have wonderful resources for palliative and end-of-life care in Vermont,” says Allan Ramsay, MD, Medical Director of the Palliative Care Services at Fletcher Allen Health Care.

 The mission of Madison-Deane Initiative is to transform end-of-life care through education, collaboration and inspiration.  MDI seeks to be responsive to emerging needs, to future challenges and to opportunities to increase understanding about end-of-life care issues as they arise in our community. For more information about MDI, please contact Madison-Deane Initiative at 860-4419, or visit the VNA website at www.vnacares.org.

August 13th, 2010

New Tobacco Regulations

CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are working to educate consumers, public health partners, and the general public about new tobacco regulations that took effect July 22, 2010. These regulations prohibit the tobacco industry from distributing or introducing into the U.S. market any tobacco products for which the labeling or advertising contains the descriptors “light,” “low,” “mild,” or any similar descriptor, irrespective of the date of manufacture. However, consumers may continue to see some products with these descriptors for sale in stores after July 22 because retailers are permitted to sell off their inventory.

OSH and FDA are seeking your support to help get the word out about these new, historic FDA tobacco regulations. You can support this effort by

•  Posting the new “Light/Low/Mild: No such thing” graphical button on your Web site. When clicked, this button will take visitors to new consumer-focused information entitled “No More “Light,” “Low,” or “Mild” Cigarettes.” This information provides a summary of the July 22 regulations, the public health impact, and links to key resources, including a new, expanded feature article by the same title posted on CDC’s Web site.
•  Encouraging others to send Health-e-Cards emphasizing the value of being tobacco-free. See the new animated Health-e-Card that reiterates there’s no such thing as a safe cigarette.
•  Informing others of a new widget located on FDA’s Tobacco Products Web site. A widget is an application that enables users to embed content from another Web site onto their Web site. As content gets updated on the source site, it’s automatically updated on the user’s site. This particular widget enables readers to embed regulation information from FDA’s Tobacco Products Web site, health information from OSH’s Smoking & Tobacco Web site, and quit information from NCI’s smokefree.gov Web site.
•  Following CDCTobaccoFree on Twitter and retweeting new messages related to the July 22 FDA tobacco regulations.
•  Becoming a fan of CDC’s Facebook page and posting new “Light/Low/Mild: No such thing” status updates on your Facebook profiles.
•  Telling others about our new posting on CDC’s Everyday Health Widget (coming soon).
•  Viewing OSH’s new entry on CDC’s MySpace page.
•  Following OSH on GovLoop. GovLoop is a social networking site for the government community. It currently serves about 30,000 members, including local, state, and federal government employees and contractors. Academics and students interested in government are also welcome to join.
•  Subscribing to CDC’s Smoking and Tobacco Use main feed to receive updates of new and recently changed content from CDC’s Smoking & Tobacco Use Web site on your browser or desktop.

Please also continue to access CDC’s Smoking & Tobacco Use Web site for helpful resources and the latest information.

Thank you,

CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health

July 28th, 2010

New Publications Available

2015 Vermont Cancer Plan

The Vermont Department of Health has published the 2015 Vermont State Cancer Plan. This document promotes coordinated efforts and identifies priorities for making best use of limited resources to reduce the burden of cancer in Vermont.

A copy of the Plan is available under publications on the right side of this page.

Prostate Cancer in Vermont

The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) announced the release of the updated Prostate Cancer in Vermont document. Changes to the16-page document include updated statistics and Vermont and National intervention efforts.

The document is available on-line at: http://healthvermont.gov/prevent/cancer/documents/SiteSpecificProstateCa.pdf

July 15th, 2010

VTAAC REPRESENTATIVES JOIN COLLEAGUES FROM ACROSS THE NATION TO ADVANCE COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CONTROL

David Cranmer, Allison Hicks, Ali Johnson and John Olson represented VTAAC at the Comprehensive Cancer Control Leadership Institute (CCCLI) held June 8-10 in Los Angeles. The CCCLI served as a forum for teams of Comprehensive Cancer Control (CCC) coalition leaders from states, tribes, territories and Pacific Island Jurisdictions to learn, share and set strategic direction for their CCC initiatives.

The 2010 CCCLI centered on CCC coalitions identifying and sharing best practices with each other and National Partner organizations providing workshops on tools and resources that have been developed for CCC coalitions and their efforts. The 2010 CCCLI was historic in that it was the first time, all state, tribe, territory and Pacific Island Jurisdiction CCC coalitions have been gathered together at the same time. This interaction provided an extraordinary opportunity for attendees to learn from and share knowledge and experiences with colleagues across the nation.

The 2010 CCCLI provided a variety of information exchange formats to include discussion panels that highlighted successful CCC coalition/program work, which included a presentation by David Cranmer on the Vermont Cancer Survivor Network’s “Kindred Connection” program, as well as a presentation on the tri-state partnership working on “Accessing Oncology Care in Rural New England”, which was authored by Ali Johnson.

The Institute also presented CCC National Partnership workshops, emerging opportunities, plenary speakers, and team action planning sessions.

VTAAC’s participants will be sharing their note/plans from the CCCLI at the July Steering Committee Meeting.

June 28th, 2010