The CDC Just Made a Big Move to Help Stop Cancer in LGBT Smokers
Unfortunately, the LGBT community smokes more than many other groups. And, as we all know, tobacco smoking leads to a higher cancer risk. But luckily, the Centers for Disease Control just donated $2.5 million to the National LGBT Cancer Network to help stop cancer.
The $2.5 million dollars is actually a five-year grant. One of the things the National LGBT Cancer Network plans to do with the money is to expand their presence from New York City to Providence, Rhode Island. Providence is the home of the Network’s principal investigator, the mononymous Dr. Scout.
Dr. Scout says, “We are really looking to expand the online knowledgebase and toolbox for LGBTQ community members at risk for cancer, living with cancer, and policymakers serving us. Watch our website at www.cancer-network.org; each month we will be adding new resources, building a robust library of information and tools everyone can access.”
Though the grant only applies to fighting tobacco-related cancer in LGBTQ communities, the National LGBT Cancer Network fights all cancers in the community. The Network also has the Behind Closed Drawers campaign devoted to fighting both anal cancer and the stigma that comes with it. Anal cancer, though rare, is 34 times more prevalent among men who have sex with men.
The Network also has compiled a list of cancer resources for the LGBTQ community, dealing both with general cancer information as well as information explicitly for the community.
The National LGBT Cancer Network has also been praised for its Cultural Competence Training, informing caregivers and social service workers about issues affecting the LGBT community. Its training program is used to train all 38,000 New York City Health and Hospital Corporation employees, and has been used to train thousands more people across the country.
