South Dakota Cancer Coalition

The Better Choices, Better Health (BCBH) SD Cancer: Thriving and Surviving program targets adults with a cancer diagnosis or family history of cancer and their family/caregivers residing in an identified 13-county service area of Monument Health.  This program offers an opportunity for those with a cancer diagnosis and their family/caregivers to attend workshops that build confidence around managing health, staying active, and enjoying life. 

In the 13-county service area identified for this grant, there are 179,000 adults.  According to the SD Cancer Registry Stats website, there were 10,663 cases of cancer from 2007-2016 in this targeted area.  That is an average of a little over 1,000 new cases per year.  In addition to the individuals impacted by a cancer diagnosis, the value of the intervention is further increased when considering the similar number of family and caregivers who would also benefit. 

Cancer treatment centers in South Dakota have shown an increased interest in offering a specific cancer self-management program to their patients and patient’s family and caregivers.  SDFMC will collaborate with Monument Health to launch the cancer self-management program workshops which are free to attend.  The workshops include up to 15 participants per workshop and SDFMC will be responsible for hosting three.  We will also schedule a cross-training to prepare leaders to be able to facilitate and expand the number and geographic spread of the self-management education workshops

With improvements in early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, people with cancer are living longer and their cancer may be managed as a chronic illness.  As a chronic illness cancer can be addressed with self-management in collaboration with the healthcare team. Self-management education enables and empowers them to participate and engage in managing their care along whatever part of the continuum they reside using strategies they prefer.  This program covers both the physical aspect of managing cancer as well as the emotional aspect of coping with cancer.  Resources, skills, and action planning contribute to having a greater sense of control over living with cancer.  This non-medical, educational intervention offered in the community setting can positively impact these potentially serious issues

SDFMC will measure success through a participant information survey accompanied by additional measures such as:

1. Providers are consistently referring patients to scheduled workshops (25% workshop participants)
2. Full participation in workshops by attendees (15 attendees per class)
3. Participants complete the entire workshop (at least 4 of 6 weeks)
4. Participants say they would recommend this workshop to their peers upon completion (75% or more) 
5. Social media campaigns are successful in generating self-referrals to the workshops
6. SDFMC will also utilize success stories to highlight impact on participants (3 or more success stories)
7. SDFMC will encourage participants to write letters to their providers sharing their benefit of improved self-management and key take-a-ways from the workshops
8. Share first-hand with providers the value of the course to reinforce the action of provider referrals
9. Surveys already created will provide opportunities to assess impact on both cancer survivors and caregivers

SDFMC and the South Dakota Cancer Coalition will utilize the Cancer Thriving and Surviving program to help participants learn strategies on how to cope with the long-term effects of treatment and ways to improve quality of life.  For those who are just starting their cancer treatment journey or those who have completed it, these tools will provide an opportunity to live life to the fullest.