OHANCAW® 2011 - Success Stories
| If you have a story from OHANCAW 2011® that you'd like to share, please send your information and/or pictures to info@headandneck.org. Arizona Screenings   Above are photos from two different OHANCAW screening events held in Arizona. One took place at a Cancer Survivors Picnic, where more than 70 people were screened. The other picture was taken at the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game, where the OHANCAW team’s booth was prominently displayed and advertised. Both events were very successful! Roller Derby Event   One of the local OHANCAW chapters chose a unique venue for their event, electing to offer their free screenings at a Roller Derby! The team had two dentists, two hygienists, one ENT physician, and two support staff members helping to screen patients! Jacksonville, Florida  The University of Florida College of Medicine in Jacksonville also hosted a very successful free screening event in May! In the above picture, one of our board members, Dr. Iman Naseri (center), poses with two head and neck cancer survivors at the event. Sacramento, California The Sacramento team's screening event in Grass Valley was a tremendous success. The Cancer Center partnered with a local dentist, who conducted the screenings in his office. When they got overwhelmed with interest due to Michael Douglas' appearance on Oprah, the dentist added his father-in-law, an oral surgeon, to the screening team. This allowed them to open the screening to more people, but they still had a waiting list of 50 people! The other cool thing they were able to do was to offer biopsies on the spot for those patients who had suspicious lesions. The hospital offered to read the biopsies for free as many of the participants of the screening did not have insurance. The Cancer Center Director who took the lead on the event said she personally and professionally received so much from hosting the event. The CEO of the hospital gave her tremendous feedback and kudos for all the positive PR the hospital has received as a result of this initiative. INTERNATIONAL EVENTS Pakistan  Twenty government and private hospitals in Pakistan began their OHANCAW efforts on May 23, 2011 as a venture of the Pakistan Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. During the awareness week, patients were screened throughout Pakistan and brochures were distributed about the week and the disease. Participants learned about the early signs of oral cancer and where to go for screening. On May 28, the group held an Open Forum at Karachi Medical & Dental College. At the forum, experts and patients exchanged their views and discussed causes, sign symptoms and treatment options of oral cancer. The Forum featured a speech from a well-known Pakistani celebrity and comedian who is an oral cancer survivor, Farid Khan. Mr. Khan discussed his lifelong struggle against cancer and warned the audience about the hazards of tobacco, gutka and smoking. Because of the success of the events, the Pakistan Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons has decided to organize more events about screening and awareness throughout Pakistan. Nigeria  Between May 9-13, the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria hosted a far-reaching educational campaign as part of OHANCAW 2011. Days before the events officially began, staff at the University worked hard to pass out bills about the events, participated in health talk shows on the radio, and advertised in local newspapers. Beginning Monday, May 9, the University held daily awareness talks. The individuals who attended the talks were offered free screenings and those with suspicious lesions were advised on treatment options. In order to reach out to the poorer areas that have less access to healthcare, some team members visited Idi-Ikan, a suburb of Ibadan City. The locals who attended were screened and given gifts such as biscuits, buckets and toothpaste. Other team members were deployed to the Bodija Market in the heart of Ibadan City for another round of screenings. They were met by a large crowd, including numerous journalists. The team continued to provide screenings at the University throughout the week, with the events coming to a close on May 13. Overall, the team screened more than 240 individuals between the ages of 9 and 80, and found suspicious lesions in 14 participants. Philippines  The Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center Department of Surgery participated in OHANCAW on May 10, 2011 by hosting a four-hour forum and screening event called “Head and Neck Cancer Awareness.” Eighty-eight patients attended the forum, where medical specialists answered questions from the audience and discussed the importance of being aware of the causes and symptoms of oral, head and neck cancer. Brazil   In the macro region of Divinópolis during April and May, the Association Against Cancer of the Mid West of Minas (ACCCOM)-Divinópolis organized an OHANCAW 2011 event with the help of local dentists and doctors. The group started its week by presenting a course called ‘Integral Approach to Mouth Cancer’ at the Federal University of São João Del Rey for 90 students from the health field. Also, during the week the group examined 1059 individuals for oral cancer, and recommended that 105 patients undergo specialized exams. In addition, the group promoted the training of 264 health field professionals, as well as gave lectures at schools to more than 1085 students. |