Minnesota has always been fortunate to have gifted people working together to improve the quality of life in our state. Since Cancer Plan MN was created in 2005, many new collaborations and programs have been created to work towards the goal of reducing the burden of cancer among all Minnesotans. To recognize and honor a few of the exemplary collaborations and gifted leaders conducting valuable cancer-related work across the state, the Minnesota Cancer Alliance honored partners with the fourth annual Spirit of Collaboration Awards.
In 2012, the Award was renamed the Darla Havlicek Spirit of Collaboration Award.
Darla J. Havlicek, passionate tobacco control advocate, Minnesota Cancer Alliance partner and Steering Committee member passed away on April 19, 2012. We are renaming the Spirit of Collaboration Award to honor our beloved friend and colleague.
2012 Darla Havlicek Spirit of Collaboration Award recipients:
Marva Bohen recipient, Individual
Marva has a longstanding commitment to the Minnesota Cancer Alliance. She was involved in developing the state cancer plans and the Minnesota Cancer Alliance. She worked extensively on the Community Health Worker “Cancer in Your Community” curriculum and materials. From 2005-2009, she led the Health Disparities Task Force and the Cervical Cancer Project Team; participated in the Building Bridges Project Team (minority screening initiative in St. Cloud), Pap Card Development, Survivorship Continuing Education Project Team, Patient Navigator Project Team, Colorectal Cancer Task Force, Cancer Clinical Trials Education & Outreach Project, and MN Intertribal Colorectal Cancer Council Dialogue for Action. Marva's ability to communicate in an inclusive and competent manner is the basis of her success. Her concern and commitment to individuals impacted by cancer is always apparent.
Marjorie Johnson – Honorable Mention, Individual
The Minnesota American Indian population has directly benefited from Marjorie's dedication. Her efforts include developing culturally appropriate cancer education literature specifically for Ojibwe people and developing and presenting cancer education programs to American Indian health services across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Marjorie has been involved in colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and informed decision making for prostate cancer screening events. She is well-known for her work in revising the American Cancer Society's "Circle of Life" cancer education program that is being implemented across Indian Country.
Dai Vu – Honorable Mention, Individual
Dai Vu is welcomed into all communities because of the way she does what she does. She sets an example for all who aim to be culturally competent. Dai’s leadership and collaboration with the community and Sage over the years has resulted in thousands of women being screened for breast and cervical cancer and receiving cancer education.
Survivor Care Plan recipient, Group
Over a two year time span, the Survivor Care Plan Project team created the Cancer Survivor Care Plan: What’s Next? Life After Cancer Treatment. This 25 page booklet was created to empower survivors in the post-treatment phase of their cancer journey. It’s designed specifically to: help survivors document their cancer care experience, manage follow-up medical care, and understand short- and long-term side effects; provide information and directions for self-care; and provide a platform for dialog between patients and their providers. Over 5000 Survivor Care Plans have been printed and distributed. The Survivor Care Plan project represents one of the most visible products of Minnesota's comprehensive cancer control efforts. The work engaged a broad group of individuals and organizations in its creation, publication and dissemination. The co-chairs have presented the outcomes of this work through oral and poster presentations and have submitted a manuscript of the work for publication. The value of this project continues.
Pathways Health Crisis Resource Center: Renewing Life – Honorable Mention, Group
Renewing Life ™ is a unique, transformative 8 week program that combines the best of emotional support groups and educational programs in order to treat the whole person; body, mind and spirit. Participants in this program often describe how the group work and the tools they gained during the program offer them invaluable ways of not only coping with disease, but growing and experiencing life in transformative, healing ways for however long they have to live. For over 20 years, Pathways has been serving people with life-threatening and chronic illness.
PAST RECIPIENTS
2011 Spirit of Collaboration Award winners:
Marie Tran, Vietnamese Social Services. In her position as Coordinator of the Cancer Education Program at VSS in St Paul, Marie works tirelessly to promote cancer screening amongst Vietnamese and other immigrants seeking services. She has arranged for over 60 people to be screened through the MN Colorectal Free Screening Day Project. With the help of a 2009 mini-grant and other funding, Marie produced a Vietnamese language DVD about colorectal cancer screening. Using local people telling their own stories the DVD describes colorectal cancer, demystifies the screening process and tells a cancer survivor’s story.
Free Screening Project Team, led by Marie Brown. Based on the model developed at Fairview Southdale, more than 120 patients were screened for colon cancer at 5 different hospitals. This partnership became the basis for the current CDC-funded Sage Scopes Program which is providing screenings to the uninsured through Health Partners and Hennepin County Medical Center. In 2010, Fairview Southdale agreed to provide similar screenings free of charge. This time, instead of doing all of the screenings in one day, they spread 30 screenings appointments across two weeks. In the end, in 2010, 30 patients were schedule, 28 exams occurred, 5 patients were identified as high risk and a polyp was indentified in one patient.
2011 Spirit of Collaboration honorable mentions: Diane Davies, Circle in the Field. In 2010, a small, community-based, support group of breast cancer survivors in Hastings, Minnesota, led by Diane Davies, took on a bold challenge: to create a virtual support group via a DVD documentary entitled 'Voices of Hope.' Diane’s idea was to reach patients immediately after diagnosis—a time few seek a support group—with personal stories on screen from survivors from a diversity of backgrounds and experiences with breast cancer. Her purpose was to help patients navigate the early weeks of breast cancer treatment with much greater calm, hope and empowerment.
Pink Deafies, led by Nancy Meyers. The Pink Deafies is a breast cancer support group for Deaf women in Minnesota. United under the banner of a quilt, the women meet monthly to offer support to one another, to plan educational conferences, and to discuss how to reach out to more women who might benefit from the group’s work. In this way, the Pink Deafies are not like any support group in the hearing world. Signing On, a very moving film, was created to increase awareness about the challenges deaf women experience with communication in a hearing dominated American healthcare system.
2011 Spirit of Collaboration nominees:
Voices of Hope DVD Project. Voices of Hope tells the story of twelve breast cancer survivors of diverse ethnicity, age, class and sexual orientation. These twelve women tell how they coped with the news of diagnosis, painful emotions, families and partners, many challenges, and moments of grace and triumph. To date, the team has distributed more than 5,000 copies of Voices of Hope, free of charge, to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, primarily through physicians and cancer care coordinators.
Mino Bimaadiziiwin Colorectal Cancer Collaborative. Mino Bimaadiziiwin (Healthy Living) was formed in January 2007. The group's mission is to provide education and outreach around colorectal cancer screening. In 2010, Leech Lake screened 60 people; White Earth screened 7 and Red Lake screened 12. An additional 50 non-Native people were screened through the MN Legislative funded program.
The awards were presented at the Cancer Summit 2011 pre-Summit Reception Wednesday, March 23 2011 at Minneapolis Airport Mariott in Bloomington. It was an enjoyable presentation celebrating the outstanding collaborations and leadership of many different Minnesota Cancer Alliance members and partners working collectively to reduce the burden of cancer throughout the state.
2009 Spirit of Collaboration Award winners:
Wendy Rahn, Ph.D., President and Founder Survivors’ Training, University Of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center for her involvement in the Alliance and through the programming initiatives of Survivors' Training. Over 2500 copies of the Survivors' Training fitness DVD for breast cancer survivors were distributed free of charge to Metro area cancer care providers and non-profits. Rahn has also worked with the Twin Cities YMCAs and YWCAs to train their fitness staffs to work with their members who have cancer. She has spoken to many different kinds of cancer support groups about the benefits of regular physical activity.
Lisa Stephens, "Combating Cancer in Your Community" Community Health Worker Cancer Curriculum Project Team. This project showcases a culturally appropriate education initiative that that has reached over 200 people, with more to come, and relies on the use of collaborative spirit and sharing of resources to implement and evaluate each training.
2009 Spirit of Collaboration Award honorable mentions:
Gay Lynn Richards, MS, RN, MPS, CNS, MDH – SAGE Program Regional Coordinator
Pam Siewert, Building Bridges
2009 Spirit of Collaboration nominees:
Ora Hokes, Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. Let’s Talk About It, Prostat Cancer Educator
ECHO Colorectal Cancer Video in 7 languages
Free Colon Screening Project Team
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Mobile Unit
Survivor Care Plan Project Team
2008 Spirit of Collaboration Award winners:
Barbara Hensley, Hope Chest for Breast Cancer, for her tireless efforts to create Hope Chest resale shops to raise money to support breast cancer research in honor of both of her sisters who died of breast cancer.
Paul Limburg, M.D., M.P.H., Mayo Clinic, for his collective vision to create the Colorectal Cancer-Free Zone research project in coordination with City of Rochester employees as well as the 2008 regional Marching Toward Cancer Prevention event.
Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES) Community Health Workers (CHWs) of the Diverse Racial and Ethnic Groups And Nations (DREGAN) Project for their tobacco educational efforts that reached nearly 39,000 Latinos in 2007.
Collaborative Organizations: CLUES, Carlos Construction, Association for Non-Smokers- Minnesota, Portico Healthnet, The Neighborhood House, Latino Enterprise Center, Aquí Ecuador Radio Program, and Ramsey County Public Health Department.
Collaborators: Angel Sinchi, Annyb Hanson, Carlos Riera, Carmen Robles, César Orjuela, Ernesto Flores, Fátima Jaramillo, Gloria L. Rivera, José Moreno, María E. Escoto, María F. Andueza, María Sosa, Marianela Molina, Martha Rodríguez, Miguel Zarate, Nuria Berro, Patricia Baker, Victor Hernandez, Sandra Ballesteros, Santa Rodríguez, and Teresa Cruz.
Promoting Breast Cancer Education and Screening for Minority and Underserved Women in the Rochester Community for the project’s collaborative efforts to reach 252 women of various ethnic and racial backgrounds to provide breast and cervical cancer screening and education.
Collaborative Organizations: Mayo Clinic, Hawthorne Education Center, Minnesota Department of Health, and Olmsted County Public Health Services.
Collaborators: Sandhya Pruthi, M.D., Lonzetta Neal, M.D., Dietlind Wahner-Roedler, M.D., Peg Sherman, Lisa Butrum, Tammy Ramer, Jennifer Rho, M.D., Marilynn Olney, Julie Nigon, Kim Fanning, Graylen Becker, Mary Pat Jewison, and Pat Radabaugh.
2008 Spirit of Collaboration Award honorable mentions:
Sage Scopes Project team
The Hope Chest for Breast Cancer Foundation Team
The Hope Chest for Breast Cancer Foundation & Open Arms of Minnesota partnership Team
The Pay It Forward Fund for Women’s Cancer Team
The Minnesota Cancer Alliance Evaluation Committee – American Evaluation Association Annual Meeting Panel Presentation
The Hope Chest Breast Center of North Memorial Team
The Cervical Cancer Tool Kit Reminder Card Team