In public health, we continuously strive to identify and successfully implement best practices to improve outcomes. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to learn what has been proven to work to save time and money to facilitate community health improvement.

 

Background
The Michigan Cancer Consortium (MCC) is a statewide group of organizations that work together in order to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality.  The MCC Challenge concentrates the organizations’ efforts internally to increase the screening rates for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer among their own employees.  The MCC used The Guide to Community Preventive Services (The Community Guide) to increase breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening rates among their 7,000 employees and employee dependents. The MCC Challenge story won top honors in the Public Health Foundation’s 2012 “I’m Your Community Guide!” Contest, which identifies model practices for implementing evidence-based recommendations from The Community Guide.

 

The Project
The MCC Challenge was launched in March 2011 with the following eight organizations: American Cancer Society; Great Lakes Division; Catherine's Health Center; District Health Department #10; Health Department of Northwest Michigan; Health Plus of Michigan; Karmanos Cancer Institute; Michigan Osteopathic Association; and Sparrow Health System participating to take the MCC Challenge of increasing screening rates within their own organizations.

 

Organizations completed initial assessments to determine which company policies were already in place for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screenings.  These assessments allowed organizations to identify gaps or weaknesses in their organizational policies.  Many of the organizations had the recommended policies used in the initial assessment from The Community Guide already in place.  The recommended policies included: providing incentives, reducing out-of-pocket costs, extending coverage to dependents, and working with their health plan. Organizations also self-reported aggregate screening rates for their employee populations.

 

Based on the initial policy assessments and the aggregate baseline screening rates, organizations were able to create action plans to implement over the next year.  Organizations used evidenced-based policy, system, and environmental change interventions, like those featured in the resource guide, which includes The Community Guide in their action plans.

 

Results

MCC Challenge participants submitted results in August 2012.  Five of the organizations were able to turn in updated screening information, three were.  Of these organizations many were not able to report data due to changes in health insurance providers and staff.  All five of the reporting organizations were able to increase or maintain breast cancer screening rates; three were able to increase or maintain cervical cancer screening rates; and four organizations were able to increase or maintain colorectal cancer screening rates for their employees. 

 

 

For more information on the MCC or the MCC Challenge please visit www.michigancancer.org

 

Has your organization also used The Community Guide to improve health outcomes in your community?  Enter your story in the 2013 “I’m Your Community Guide!” Contest.

 

 

 Please share with us your thoughts and opinions on this and other public health topics by posting and subscribing to comments throughout PHF’s website.