The excitement and activity of New York City’s Time Square was the perfect venue for gathering the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT) 80% by 2018 National Achievement Award winners to celebrate their success and promote the value of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening.
Great Plains Quality Innovation Network was one of six organization recognized for their efforts to reach 80% of age-eligible adults routinely screened for CRC by 2018. Great Plains QIN state program directors Judy Beck and Nancy Beaumont took a moment to share their experience during a recent interview.
Being selected as a National Achievement Award Honoree is an amazing accomplishment. How did staff react to the news of the award?
Judy: This was very exciting for each team member. We take great pride in being recognized for our efforts to improve colorectal cancer screening across our four states. (Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota)
Nancy: We were all really excited to learn of our nomination by one of our partner organizations, the American Cancer Society. The nomination was so motivating and with the announcement of our selection as a finalist, we were even more motivated to press on with our message of the importance of colorectal cancer screening.
As an award winner, you were chosen to represent GPQIN for a live stream Colorectal Cancer Awareness Kick-off event in New York City along with other award winners. The event was hosted by Katie Couric and Luke Perry at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square. What was the atmosphere of the event and how did the celebrities engage with participants to promote colorectal cancer awareness?
Judy: Excitement and celebration was palpable in the room. Both Katie Couric and Luke Perry shared their own stories on why participating in this event mattered to them. Their passion, along with others, set the stage to engage the participants and audience in celebrating successes and, most importantly, promote awareness of colorectal cancer screening.
Nancy: The atmosphere was a buzz with celebrity guests and honorees sharing their stories of how they are convening and organizing individuals and communities to reach the 80% by 2018 CRC screening goal.
Judy, you were a member of a panel of award winners who were interviewed by Luke Perry during the program. Tell us about your experience and how you prepared.
Judy: First, I want to say that I’m honored and blessed to represent Great Plains QIN’s colorectal cancer screening team. The NCCRT did an excellent job preparing us with pre-event calls, which included the types of questions and expectations for responses from the panel interview. Knowing the time limits, I prepared my responses to provide a brief concise overview of our work. We met Luke Perry right before the live stream interview started. He was genuinely interested in our responses, making each panel member feel at ease.
Representatives from various organizations, individual award winners, cancer survivors and advocates with a passion for colorectal cancer screening had the opportunity to share their stories. What stories and best practices inspired and motivated you the most and why?
Judy: Throughout the event, the patient story was shared in different ways by celebrities and awardees. Candace Henley, one of the awardees, was inspirational in her personal survival story with colon cancer and her continued efforts to raise awareness by starting the Blue Hat Foundation in medically underserved communities. When talking with her, I saw a genuine warmth and spirit that would motivate anyone to learn more about colorectal cancer screening.
Other highlights included videos shown during the live event of celebrities providing passionate messages on the importance of getting screened for colorectal cancer. During the day we met with other award winners. This also was a highlight of our day as we use their lessons learned and apply it to the work the Great Plains QIN is doing.
Nancy: Every person I spoke to had a story of how colorectal cancer had touched their lives and those personal stories were so full of passion and drive. Each individual spoke with such commitment and was able to influence others to take action. Outreach through social media was mentioned several times; however, the best practice that inspired me the most was to ‘just start talking’. Talk about CRC screening with your family and friends, understand that CRC is the second cause of cancer deaths among men and women – AND that it doesn’t have to be that way. Listen to individual’s fears and educate on the screening options available.
As the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable Chair Dr. Richard Wender mentioned, there is still work to be done to achieve the 80% by 2018 goal. How do you see the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network moving forward to continue their success in the four-state region of Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota?
Judy: We’ve certainly seen improvements with screening rates in the clinics we are working with, but so far only one clinic has reached the 80% goal. This is going to take time. Our hope is to continue working with clinics who are committed to improving colorectal cancer screening. Through this project, we have more clinics interested in joining the effort. The 80% by 2018 goal is achievable and we will continue to align our collaborative efforts with key partners and stakeholders moving forward.
Nancy: As Judy mentioned, we are seeing improvements in the screening rates. Practices are enjoying the results of improved screening rates in their patient population by adopting the American Cancer Society’s four essentials: Make a Recommendation, Develop a Screening Policy, Be Persistent with Reminders, and Measure Progress. Along with implementing the essentials, innovative approaches such as FluFit allow opportunities to promote CRC screening when patients are in the mindset of wellness.