Northern Plains Comprehensive Cancer Control Program

Northern Plains Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NPCCC) Impact Statement
June 30, 2012 – June 30, 2017

The Northern Plains Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NPCCC) was funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Fund #5U58DP003876 from June 30, 2012 to June 30, 2017. NPCCCP provides technical assistance and support services to all 17 tribes and one service area for over 179,000 AI/AN covering a four state region (ND, SD, IA, NE) within the Great Plains. The goal of NPCCCP is to work with tribal leaders, community members, and stakeholders to reduce the burden of cancer among American Indians in the Great Plains Area. NPCCCP has reached over 26,234 community members through its technical assistance, activities, meetings, and events over the past 5 years.

While the work of one program can be substantial, NPCCCP was able to reach more people by offering tribal communities the ability to apply for community grant awards to implement cancer prevention and control related activities. NPCCCP provided five community grant awards of $5,000 for each year. Over the five year funding period, 25 community grants were awarded totaling $125,000 for prevention efforts in our tribal communities. Standing Rock’s Men’s Prostate and Colorectal Cancer Screening program was one of the five community grants awarded this past year. The program reached 245 individuals through a variety of activities and educational efforts. The screening program met all of their objectives by screening 55 men for colorectal and prostate cancer at a FIT kit return rate of 35%.

NPCCCP staff realizes we have a much larger impact collectively than as a standalone program, which is why NPCCCP relies heavily on

strong partnerships and collaborations with other tribal, state, regional, and national entities. In addition to being able to reach more people in each tribal community working collectively, it is also essential to maintain and continue to strengthen existing partnerships. NPCCCP has strengthened our partnership with the Great Plains Area Indian Health Service (GPA-IHS) over the past five years. GPA-IHS offers cancer screening services to over 122,000 AI/AN in the Great Plains region. NPCCCP collaborated with GPA-IHS and State Departments of Health to offer tobacco cessation trainings to IHS staff, tribal health employees, and other public health professionals. NPCCCP provided over 15 trainings to over 200 individuals. According to IHS regional Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) data there has been an increase from 29.4% (pre-trainings) to 50.4% (post trainings) utilizing the culturally relevant 5A’s curriculum through the University of Arizona. The curriculum is evidence-based and adapted for IHS facilities.

NPCCCP has collaborated with GPA-IHS and tribal communities to increase colorectal cancer by having the Rollin Colon at health events. The Rollin’ Colon is a large inflatable 8-foot-tall by 20-foot-long walk-through colon used for educational purposes to assist in engaging individuals in dialogue on the importance of colorectal cancer screening. The Rollin’ Colon provides a view of normal colon tissue, as well as diseases of the large intestine, colon polyps, and colorectal cancer. The Rollin’ Colon has been utilized at over 25 community events, reaching over 5,000 individuals. A pretest and post-test was administered to measure a participant’s increase in knowledge and risk factors associated with colorectal cancer. The final year of the program showed that most (68%) of the respondents increased their knowledge of CRC screening by answering at least one additional correct item from pre to post test. More than half (65%) of respondents reported that the Rollin Colon helped them “a lot” to understand the importance of CRC screening. When asked if they planned to get a CRC screening in the future, most (75%) said yes.

Northern Plains Comprehensive Cancer Control Program

The Northern Plains Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (NPCCCP) provides cancer education (treatment, palliative and end-of-life care, and survivorship). NPCCCP advocates for and promotes screening and prevention initiatives. Funding is through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additional activities include coordination and collaboration with our service area tribes, a variety of workgroups, state and national coalitions, and other partners.

Northern Plains Cancer Coalition (NPCC)

The Northern Plains Cancer Coalition (NPCC) is a group of volunteers who have an interest in cancer control and prevention for tribes. Meetings provide a forum for input, advocacy, education, collaboration and planning.