Committees

The ACCCC is broken up into committees representing different areas of cancer control. Committee members meet in person at quarterly meetings as well as over the phone or in person as needed between meetings. Committees report their progress at each quarterly meeting along with plans for future activities.

If you are interested in joining one of the committees, please contact the respective committee chair. Joining is free!

Committee Chairs

Prevention

Rochelle Wallace, M.S.
Health Initiatives Program Manager
Office of Community Outreach & Engagement
UAB O' Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
[email protected]

Early Detection

Patricia Cade, MPA
Assistant Grants & Projects Coordiantor
Cahaba Medical Care Foundation
[email protected]

Survivorship and Palliative Care

Angela Lee Davis
Associate Director, State Partnerships
American Cancer Society
[email protected]

Prevention

The Prevention Committee encourages Alabamians to modify their lifestyle choices - to quit using tobacco, eat healthier, exercise more, reduce UV light exposure, reduce exposure to ionizing radiation and get vaccinated for HPV to prevent certain cancers. Prevention achieves these objectives by educating the public and affecting policies to ensure that Alabamians reduce their risk factors for cancer.

The Prevention Committee is currently working to educate decision-makers on the need for smoke free policies and the benefits of the regulation of tanning bed use by minors. These goals will be achieved by writing letters to editors of publications calling for smoke-free policies as well as sending postcards containing a tailored smoke-free message to decision-makers around the state. For tanning bed education, Prevention plans to distribute petitions through social media networks to garner support.

Prevention also has decided to educate healthcare providers and the general public on the benefits of the HPV vaccine. The committee plans to meet with editorial boards to discuss the issue.

Early Detection

The Early Detection Committee promotes public awareness of the importance of screening, as well as to increase access to quality screening opportunities for citizens.

Early Detection will focus on educating residents of underserved areas with low screening rates on the benefits of cancer screenings at community events. The committee will also create a list of resources for community members that will include locations of screening providers.

The committee will advocate at all levels of government for increased funding for screening and expanded screening services. They will also increase enrollment of community members in cancer prevention/clinical trials by educating the public about cancer trials and decreasing barriers to screening.

Survivorship and Palliative Care

The Survivorship Committee develops public health strategies to help cancer survivors address the many psychological and medical challenges that come with the transition from treatment to survivorship. These strategies include identifying the needs and health status of cancer survivors as well as involving caregivers in the evaluation of resources available for palliative and supportive care.

The committee is currently working to develop a listserv of partners with survivorship interests throughout the state.

Access to Care

(As of June 2024 Access to Care is no longer a stand alone committee, efforts are now embedded as a health equity lens in the other committees: Prevention, Early Detection, & Survivorship and Palliative Care.)

The Access to Care Committee increases access to cancer treatment and screening statewide. It also increases patient navigation and supportive services in Alabama.

The committee is currently working to ensure cancer patients in local communities are provided rural transportation to gain timely access to care. The committee will accomplish this by promoting and partnering with community organizations in rural communities to increase capacity of ride sharing and the ACS Road to Recovery Program.

The Access to Care Committee is advocating for the expansion of Medicaid in Alabama.