WESTLAKE VILLAGE — The Cancer Support Community-Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara, formerly The Wellness Community will host a first-ever Cancer Support Summit, June 21-22 at the Cancer Support Community-Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara’s Westlake Village offices, the organization reported in a media release.
Licensed therapists and professional staff will discuss strategies to extend and enhance support programs to help children affected by cancer, whether they are a patient or survivor or have a loved one with cancer.
On average, one to two children develop the disease each year for every 10,000 children in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute, and nearly 25 percent of adults with cancer have children under the age of 18 living in the household. These children face a set of pressures and emotions that can isolate them from their peers and take a long-term toll on their development, notes Marty Nason, vice president of programs for CSC-VV/SB.
Cancer Support Community-Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara, which provides free counseling, education, creative activities, support groups and more to adults and children affected by cancer, created the Children’s Summit as a way to disseminate ways to more effectively meet the needs of children affected by cancer.
“These children experience a unique journey,” said Nason. “Our specially trained therapists help them navigate the complex emotions and dynamics that are thrust upon them. It can be very difficult for the therapists too. The summit is a way we can support the clinical staff and therapists, while developing new and better programs for the children.”
The summit brings together CSC program professionals, including counselors and therapists, to share best practices, develop strategies for outreach, streamline resource development and distribution and to explore collaborative and partnership efforts. Select Cancer Support Community affiliate therapists are attending, including staff from Miami, Phoenix, the Bay Area, the Greater Los Angeles area. and the Coachella Valley.
Featured at the summit will be Kids Circle, a program developed by conference host, Cancer Support Community-Valley/Ventura, which began in 1999 as a program for children ages 5-13 with a parent or grandparent with cancer. Children participate in creative activities and speak about their fears, anxieties and insensitivity of other children.
With funding from Amgen Healthcare and others, the program expanded last year to provide individual counseling for teens with cancer and their families, educational workshops and monthly support groups for children with cancer and their families, conducted in collaboration with five other nonprofit organizations. CSC-VV/SB also has programs for young adults, many of whom are childhood cancer survivors. Amgen is providing the funds for this Summit.
Latino health seminar
The Cancer Support Community will also convene a first-ever cancer support summit, June 22-23 at the organization’s Westlake Village offices for selected licensed therapists and professional staff to discuss strategies to extend and enhance support programs for Latinos affected by cancer. The seminar addresses overcoming barriers to cancer care for uninsured or under-insured Latinos. The summit is in conjunction with the Cancer Support Community’s summit on Children’s Programs.
Latinos have lower rates of cancer screening, an increased likelihood of later-stage diagnosis and much lower survival rates when compared to the overall U.S. population, according to CancerConnect.com
“Research shows that a higher percentage of the Latino population have limited access to healthcare plus have multiple other challenges including language, transportation and economic hardship for missing work. It makes dealing with cancer, treatments and navigating healthcare systems even more difficult,” said Marty Nason, vice president of programs for Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara. “By helping them overcome these barriers, and providing culturally competent care, we can more effectively service this population, and make a difference in the lives of Latinos affected by cancer. This is why the summit is so important.”
The summit brings together administrators and program professionals, including counselors and therapists, to share best practices, develop strategies for outreach, streamline resource development and distribution and to explore collaborative and partnership efforts. The invited attendees are from select Cancer Support Affiliates that have developed Latino outreach programs, including staff from Phoenix, Miami, the Bay Area, the Greater Los Angeles area and the Coachella Valley.
A goal of the summit is to identify successful strategies that can be used at other Cancer Support Communities around the country. The Cancer Support Community-Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara’s Latino Outreach Cancer Program, established in 1999, adapts and extends the evidence-based service model regarding the special needs of Latinos affected by cancer. LOCP guides Latino cancer patients through the process of finding and utilizing treatment services through Aliados (“Allies”), Spanish-speaking volunteers.
Because of its effectiveness and cultural competency, CSC VV/SB’s program has received numerous awards and was presented at national and international conferences on psycho-oncology. Attendees from other CSC affiliates have developed other approaches so we will learn from one another.
In 2011, CSC VV/SB served 4,000 Latinos in support groups, workshops, yoga, a women’s conference, peer support and navigation of the healthcare system and community resources. Spanish-language programs are offered in western San Fernando Valley and Ventura County.
About Cancer Support Community
Founded in 1982, Cancer Support Community, formerly The Wellness Community, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free support, education and hope to people with cancer and their loved ones. In July 2009, The Wellness Community and Gilda’s Club joined forces to become Cancer Support Community, one of the largest providers of cancer support worldwide. The combined organization is comprised of nearly 50 local affiliates, 12 affiliates in development and more than 100 satellite locations.
Backed by evidence that the best cancer care includes emotional and social support, the Cancer Support Community offers these services to all people affected by cancer. Likely the largest professionally led network of cancer support worldwide, the organization delivers a comprehensive menu of personalized and essential services. Because no cancer care plan is complete without emotional and social support, the Cancer Support Community has a vibrant network of community-based centers and online services run by trained and licensed professionals. For more information, visit www.CancerSupportCommunity.org
The Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/SB offers professionally led support groups, educational workshops, nutrition and exercise programs, and stress-reduction classes. Cancer Support Community continues to provide support, education and hope to all people affected by cancer. Programs are offered in English and Spanish and provided free of charge. For more information, to volunteer or to make a donation, visit www.TwcVv.org or call 805-379-4777.
Additional information:
Children with cancer
According to the National Cancer Institute, http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/childhood,cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children 1 to 14 years of age. On average, 1 to 2 children develop the disease each year for every 10,000 children in the United States.
Survivors of Pediatric Cancer
Nationally, the Cancer Childhood Survivor Study demonstrated that approximately 1 in 640 young adults is a survivor of a pediatric cancer. While the incidence of childhood cancer is considerably lower than adults, the 5-year survival rate of approximately 80% results in a growing population of survivors of childhood cancer that are faced with coping with long-term and late effects. Nearly two-thirds of childhood cancer survivors experience at least one chronic or late-occurring complication, and half of all young adult cancer survivors of childhood cancer have one or more health consequence of treatment.
The Affects of Cancer in Parents
Additionally, children are affected by the effects of cancer incidents occurring in parents. There are 12 million people living with cancer in the United States, and 1.5 million newly diagnosed each year. Nearly 25% of those diagnosed have children under the age of 18 living in the household. Children living in a household where there is cancer face a set of pressures and emotions that can isolate them from their peers and take a long-term toll on their development.
According to the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation’s website: http://www.candlelightersofmichigan.org/cancer_facts.htm
- One in 330 children will develop cancer before the age of 20
- Each day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer
- On average, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer every day in the United States.
- Approximately 12,400 children were diagnosed with cancer in the year 2000
- Each year, about 3,000 children die from cancer – more than from asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, congenital anomalies, and pediatric AIDS combined
- Only about 20% of adults with cancer show evidence that the disease has spread to distant sites on the body at diagnosis yet 80% of children are diagnosed with advanced disease
- The incidence of childhood cancer is increasing. The cause of this is unknown
Facts About Latinos and Cancer
- Latino men can be more than two times as likely as non-Latinos to develop certain types of cancer
- Latino men can be nearly two times as likely as non-Latinos to die from cancer
- Latino women can be two and a half times as likely as non-Latinos to develop certain forms of cancer
- Latino women can be more than two times as likely as non-Latinos to die from cancer
- A higher portion of Latinos believed that having cancer is like getting a death sentence (46% vs 26%)
- That cancer is God’s punishment (7% vs. 2%)
- That there is very little one can do to prevent getting cancer (26% vs. 18%)
- Latinos have lower rates of cancer screening
- Latinos have an increased likelihood of later-stage diagnosis
- Latinos have a lower survival rate
- a lack of trust
- suspicion
- fear of deportation
- cultural beliefs about cancer
- belief in folk medicine
- the emphasis on the needs of the family rather than the individual
- machismo
- fatalism
- enduring of suffering/stoic attitudes
- tendency to seek help from church, family and friends rather than formal institutions or agencies
- poverty
- lack of transportation and childcare
- geographic barriers