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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12071993 - IO.6 ,J TO: ti BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 1.0.-6 s----L Contra INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE n� �OS+a FROM: L November 22, 1993 *� County DATE: sTq cdui+ SUBJECT: STATUS OF PLANNING FOR THE THIRD BAY AREA CANCER SUMMIT AND STATUS OF EFFORTS TO OBTAIN FUNDING FOR THE PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF THE INCIDENCE OF CANCER IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY AND THE BOSTON AREA SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1 . ACCEPT the attached report from Dr. Brunner regarding the activities which have been undertaken in the past quarter directed at cancer control, detection and prevention. 2 . DIRECT the Health Services Director, in view of the fact that we have a new Surgeon General and a new Head of the National Institutes of Health, to undertake a renewed effort to seek the cooperation of the Federal Government in funding a prospective study of the incidence of cancer in Contra Costa County, as a part of a bi-coastal study also involving the Boston area and report the results of his efforts as a part of his next quarterly report to the 1.994 Internal. Operations Committee. Emphasize in this effort . the importance of prevention as an effort to forestall one of the most expensive diseases affecting the American people at a time when the Federal Administration is concerned with reducing the cost of the health care system. In this regard, DIRECT the Health Services Director to submit a revised application to fund a prospective study of. the incidence of cancer and forward a copy of the application to each member of the Board of Supervisors. 3 . DIRECT the Health Services Director to continue to seek funding for a Third Bay Area Cancer Summit and report the results of his efforts to the 1994 Internal Operations Committee as a part of his next quarterly report on this subject and, in conjunction therewith, refer this matter to the 1994 Internal Operations Committee. 4 . REMOVE this item as a.referral to the 1993 Internal Operations Committee. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): SUNNE WRIGHT McPEAK JEFF SMITH ACTION OF BOARD ON_ December 7 , 1993 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS(ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. ATTESTED Contact: PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF cc: County Administrator SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Health Services Director Public Health Director BY DEPUTY I.O.-6 -2- BACKGROUND: Throughout 1993, the Internal Operations Committee has been urging the Health Services Department to continue to seek funding for a bi-coastal prospective study of the incidence of cancer in Contra Costa County and in Boston, Mass . Thus far, these efforts have not been successful . We have also urged the Health Services Department to plan a Third Bay Area Cancer Summit. The Department maintains that such a conference cannot be planned without additional funding, something which the Department has been unable to obtain to date. We want to continue to urge additional effort in these directions . As was noted by Supervisor McPeak, if a prospective study had been undertaken at the point that the idea was originally surfaced, we would now have something like ten years of data and would be much closer to being able to draw some conclusions regarding the causes of cancer in this County. While we commend all of the other cancer-related projects which are being undertaken by the Health Services Department, we wish to register our frustration with the lack of progress which has been made in these areas . Contra Costa County •- J= • Health Services Department — _ PUBLIC HEALTH DIVISION n; Administrative Offices 597 Center Avenue Suite 200 Martinez,California 94553 TO: Internal Operations Committee FROM: Wendel Brunner, M.D. Assistant Health Services Director for Public Health DATE: November 22, 1993 SUBJECT: STATUS REPORT ON BAY AREA CANCER COALITION INITIATIVES AND CHRONIC DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CONTROL The Bay Area Cancer Coalition (BACC) is continuing activities in Contra Costa of the NIH funded Breast and Cervical Cancer Intervention Study (BACCIS). BACCIS held its third Women's Health Day in October at the Martin Luther King Clinic in Richmond. Health Services Department staff worked with BACCIS staff to provide breast exams and pap smears and screening mammography was offered free through a mobil mammography screening van. The Health Services Department does follow-up of abnormal mammograms or pap smears through Merrithew Hospital. These Women's Health Days are part of a comprehensive community-based outreach program targeted at women over 40, particularly in minority communities, to increase the awareness of the importance of regular breast and cervical cancer screening. BACC is also continuing efforts to plan and implement a third Bay Area Cancer Summit, although so far efforts to obtain funding have been unsuccessful. The grant application that was submitted to the Centers for Disease Control for conference funding is being reworked into a more extensive proposal to submit to the California Wellness Foundation. We are also pursuing a possible collaborative effort with the California State Health Department's Cancer and Chronic Disease Program to implement a conference on cancer and chronic disease epidemiology and control in the Bay Area. The Public and Environmental Health Advisory Board (PEHAB) has formed a chronic disease subcommittee in partnership with Health Services Department staff and a number of community agencies in response to recommendations of the PEHAB report from last year. The Chronic Disease Committee intends to develop a chronic disease control plan for Contra Costa Health Services Department and the county. The Chronic Disease Committee includes representatives from the American Cancer Society,American Lung Association, and community health providers, as well as PEHAB-members and Health Services Department staff. We have been in contact with the Chronic Disease Section of the State Health Services Department which is interested in working with our Health Department and the PEHAB Chronic Disease Committee to assist in chronic disease control plan development. As well as guiding chronic disease control activities of the Health Services Department, this plan can serve as a framework for funding applications. ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY In the aftermath of the General Chemical sulfuric acid release on July 26th, the County and State Health Services Departments are looking at possible persistent health effects among the 20,000 persons who presented to clinics following the release. The State Health Department has already received a $30,000 grant from the federal Agency for Toxics Substances Disease Registry(ATSDR)to abstract clinic records from Brookside,Kaiser, and Richmond Health Center to determine how many people presented with significant health problems, particularly eye irritation and respiratory complaints including asthma. We are designing and preparing a larger proposal to ATSDR to follow up the cohort who presented to the clinics with symptoms, and evaluate their respiratory condition a year later. This project is being implemented in consultation with community groups in the impacted area, who have long been interested in identifying and documenting health impacts other than cancer in the region. WB:ah .x.