This press release contains dated information and should be used for background only.
KANSAS CITY, Kan.– The National Cancer Institute (NCI), the government’s lead agency for cancer research, has announced that the Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute at the University of Kansas Medical Center has been selected as one of 15 organizations for future contract award, effective January 15, 2005, to operate its Cancer Information Service (CIS).
Four of the 15 awardees, including the KU Medical Center, will also operate CIS Contact Centers, providing information to the public through a toll-free telephone service. Under the new contract, KU Medical Center’s expands its area of reach from a population of over 22 million to a population of nearly 80 million.
Created in 1976, the CIS is the federal government’s source for the latest, most accurate cancer information for the American public. The CIS assists organizations in developing education efforts to reach people who do not have easy access to cancer information and services, provides up-to-date scientific information in understandable language, and studies ways to promote healthy behaviors and communicate cancer information effectively.
According to Roy Jensen, MD, director of the Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute, “The CIS is a critical resource for the American public, and we feel privileged that we have been selected to provide this service to even greater numbers of citizens.”
Staffed by specially trained information specialists, the CIS provides toll-free telephone service in English and Spanish (1-800-4-CANCER), offering personalized attention to each caller and answering questions about cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and research. Through NCI’s Web site, www.cancer.gov, internet users can access CIS for real-time assistance through LiveHelp, an instant messaging service. In addition, CIS offers smoking cessation counseling via NCI’s Smoking Quitline (1-877-44U-QUIT).
The CIS also collaborates with national, state, and regional organizations to disseminate cancer information and develop cancer education programs that reach minority and medically underserved populations. The Partnership Program brings cancer information to people who may have difficulties seeking health information because of educational, financial, language, or other barriers. It also strives to increase partners’ awareness that cancer health disparities are a major public health problem where the burden of cancer falls disproportionately on certain racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. The Research Program will help the CIS engage in research that helps both the Information Service and Partnership Program better understand, apply and disseminate effective communication approaches to educate the public about cancer and contribute to the nation’s cancer control efforts.
The national CIS collaborates with more than 900 partners with special attention to populations most affected by cancer health disparities. The CIS also takes nearly 300,000 calls annually and has responded to more than 10 million callers since its inception.
KU Medical Center has provided CIS services to the Heartland Region since 1988. It receives about 1,000 calls a month but anticipates that its call volume will increase to 5,000 calls a month in 2005.
The KU Medical Center contract will total more than $16 million over five years. Year one of the contract totals $2, 671,754.