Women's Way

Women’s Way Partners

	Early detection is key in the fight against breast cancer. Women's Way teaches women the importance of breast self-examinations. With cancer screening programs for both breast and cervical cancer, Women's Way provides an invaluable service to the women of North Dakota. With programs like Women's Way helping to educate women about the importance of good health, we will make great strides in winning the battle against breast and cervical cancer.
	Mikey L. Hoeven First Lady of North Dakota, 2001 -

	Women's Way is a tremendous program for North Dakota! Not only does it provide breast and cervical cancer screening services for eligible North Dakota women, but it teaches women about the importance of taking good care of themselves -- and the importance of early detection. Good health is so very important to our state's future. With programs like this, North Dakota is on its way to better health. Here's to Women's Way!
	Nancy Jones Schafer North Dakota First Lady, 1992 – 2000

Healthy North Dakota

Women's Way is helping build a healthy North Dakota by providing education on the importance of early detection and providing regular screening for breast and cervical cancer to eligible North Dakota women. Healthy North Dakota supports Women's Way by sharing the importance of breast and cervical health across all of Healthy North Dakota.

North Dakota Comprehensive Cancer Prevention and Control Program

Comprehensive Cancer Control – Works with stakeholders and partners, like Women’s Way, to develop a common vision for comprehensive cancer control, create a coordinated statewide cancer control plan and assemble available resources to carry out the plan by:

developing communication channels,
identifying resources,
integrating activities and networking with other state programs,
identifying data sources and data gaps,
analyzing data to define the cancer problem,
identifying existing activities and strategies in the public and private sectors for prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care,
identifying priority populations, and evaluating program effectiveness.

North Dakota Cancer Registry

North Dakota Cancer Registry is a statewide cancer registry that collects incidence and mortality data on all North Dakota residents who are diagnosed and treated for cancer.

Providing complete and accurate data for evaluating the cancer burden on the state’s residents is one of the North Dakota Cancer Registry’s goals.

Marlys C. Knell
Coordinator
North Dakota Cancer Registry
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
North Dakota Department of Health

North Dakota Cancer Coalition

The North Dakota Cancer Coalition consists of professional stakeholders, survivors of cancer and interested others working together to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to reduce the incidence, morbidity and mortality of cancer in North Dakota. Through data-driven analysis, the plan promotes prevention, screening and early detection of cancer and improvement of cancer care and patient care management in North Dakota.

North Dakotans Partnering for Women's Health

Women's Way is working together with others across the state - medical professional, businesses, non-profit organizations, state health agencies and community groups - to promote improved health for women in our state. North Dakotans Partnering for Women's Health unites around this common interest in hopes of advancing disease prevention and awareness of available resources.

North Dakotans Partnering for Women's Health, along with First Lady Mikey L. Hoeven, hosts an annual Women's Health Summit, a women's health conference for people interested in wellness, women's health and screening services. The conference provides knowledge, skills and action ideas for women's personal health and for women we serve. The 2008 Women's Health Summits will be held at the Ramada Plaza Suites and Conference Center, Fargo, N.D., Monday, May 5, 2008 and at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel, Bismarck, N.D., Monday, October 27, 2008.

Call the office of the First Lady at 701-328-1010 for more information.

American Cancer Society

The North Dakota American Cancer Society and Women's Way have different missions yet one goal -- to detect breast and cervical cancer in early stages in order to reduce cancer mortality. Both organizations focus on education and early detection.

Women's Way provides breast and cervical cancer screening to eligible women and the American Cancer Society addresses the needs of breast and cervical cancer patients. Both organizations collaborate on several projects such as Women's Cancer Issues Facilitator training and the Healthful Aging Summit, which educate and challenge women to bring information and action back to their community.

Cathy Domres
North Dakota Executive Director,
American Cancer Society
For cancer information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, call 1-800-ACS-2345

Reach to Recovery

Reach to Recovery (RTR) is the American Cancer Society (ACS) program for breast cancer information and support. All RTR volunteers are breast cancer survivors trained to visit with people who have a concern about breast cancer, including women who are newly diagnosed or who already have begun breast cancer treatment.

The partnership between Women's Way and the Reach to Recovery program is very complementary. Women's Way provides screening for eligible clients and RTR is available to visit with anyone who requests a visit, whether or not she has a positive result on her mammogram. RTR volunteers may be called at any time during the screening continuum to offer support and information to the Women's Way client. In North Dakota, more than 70 trained RTR volunteers are available for visits.

The ACS and Women's Way are strong partners, each enhancing the other's efforts. If breast cancer is detected during a Women's Way screening, RTR may be contacted to give support, information and direction.

Delorse Tschider
Reach to Recovery State Coordinator
American Cancer Society-North Dakota
1108 19th Street S.E.
Mandan, ND 58554
dtschider@hotmail.com
Tel: 701.663.3403

Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control

Women’s Way is working with the Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control to promote healthy, tobacco-free lifestyles. Smoking causes cancer in many parts of the body, and is associated with an increased risk for cervical cancer. When a woman enrolls in Women’s Way she is assessed for tobacco use and offered information on quitting and a referral to local tobacco cessation programs or the North Dakota Tobacco Quitline.

North Dakota Tobacco Quitline

The North Dakota Tobacco Quitline is a free, telephone-based counseling service available to all North Dakota residents. Callers work with professional counselors to assess their readiness to quit and help them develop a quitting plan. Additionally, friends and family members and health-care providers are also able to access the quitline to have their questions answered. Nicotine replacement therapy (patches and gum) are also available to women who meet the income eligibility guidelines. The toll-free number for the North Dakota Tobacco Quitline is 866.388.QUIT (866.388.7848).

North Dakota Health Care Review, Inc.

Women's Way is dedicated to ensuring that all North Dakota women have access to preventive health care services. This organization has been able to reach into communities, finding people who need help and leading them to people who can help. They have been very effective partners in promoting the early detection of breast and cervical cancer throughout the state. In short, Women's Way is saving lives in North Dakota.

Barbara Groutt
Director of Health Care Quality Improvement, NDHCRI

	The North Dakota Women’s Health CORE The North Dakota Women’s Health CORE: A National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health Region VIII Demonstration Project’s goal is to develop a virtual resource center for women, a clinical care model that is interdisciplinary and focuses on prevention, and research opportunities to see what really works for women here in North Dakota. Together with Women’s Way we hope to connect program eligible women to screening services and treatment if needed.
	Susan Splichal Coordinator, North Dakota Women's Health CORE A National Center of Excellence in Women's Health Region VIII Demonstration Project

	Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Women's Way is a program that ensures that all women in North Dakota receive a basic level of preventive health care. Through community-based program efforts, uninsured and underinsured women receive screening services for breast and cervical cancer. In addition, all women in the state are exposed to messages about breast and cervical health. Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota supports Women’s Way in its comprehensive approach to reducing death and disability from breast and cervical cancer in North Dakota. Dr. Jon Rice Medical Director Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota

	Reach Partners Reach Partners provides specialized services in community building and health promotion. Women’s Way has contracted with Reach Partners to design, build and customize statewide strategies that recruit women to be enrolled or re-enrolled and screened by Women’s Way. Reach Partners in partnership with Cowden Communications provided services to Women’s Way including mobilizing a network of more than 850 volunteers, establishing routine contact with the media across the state through a systematic release of enrollee role model stories, program news releases, TV and radio public service announcements, and media kits on an accessible media website. Reach Partners also plans and implements special recruitment projects as needed.