It’s time to stop leaving women behind when it comes to cervical cancer screening – USA Today

March has been a crazy busy month for Cervivor and for the visibility of cervical cancer prevention. An international awareness day! An editorial in a national newspaper! A piece of legislation introduced in Congress! As the month draws to a close, here is a recap:

An International Awareness Day

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The month kicked off with International HPV Awareness Day on March 4. The day featured online events, press conferences, webinars and more taking place around the world.

The awareness day may have come and gone, but the International Papillomavirus Society, the official sponsors of the day, have terrific posters and visuals you can download and share at any time. Their graphics can be be a great addition to your social media feeds!

An Editorial in a National Newspaper: USA Today

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Also in March, USA Today featured an editorial on the importance of cervical cancer prevention co-authored by Cervivor founder Tamika Felder and Anna Giuliano, Ph.D., the founding director of the Center for Immunization and Infection Research In Cancer at Moffitt Cancer Center. The editorial highlighted the need for more proactive screening in uninsured/underserved communities and expressed frustration at the lowering of cervical cancer screening goals in the recently-released “Healthy People 2030” national public health initiative. The editorial offered a strong call to action: 

“Decades of groundbreaking research have provided the tools to eliminate cervical cancer. Yet, every two hours a woman in the U.S. dies of this preventable cancer. It is time to stop leaving women behind and work collectively to get every woman, regardless of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, up to date with cervical cancer screening. Let’s create a national goal to achieve cervical cancer elimination, a strategy for the U.S. to accomplish this goal and a revision of the Healthy People 2030 objectives.”

Share the article on your social media feeds. Make sure to highlight your personal passion for this issue and your involvement with Cervivor!

Legislation Introduced in Congress

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The “Promoting Resources to Expand Vaccination, Education and New Treatments for HPV (PREVENT HPV) Cancers Act”  was introduced in Congress in March.  Cervivor was quoted in the press release announcing the bill. This legislation would, if enacted in the future, address many of the education and health equity needs surrounding cervical cancer prevention.

Our voices and our stories and our advocacy will be important to move this bill forward. The introduction of a piece of legislation is only the start of a long chain of legislative steps that can ultimately lead to bill passage (or not). Bill passage can take years. Bills can get folded into other legislation. Bills can get debated by committee but never elevated to the House or Senate floor for a vote. In this case, the bill was sent to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, but so far, there is no companion measure over in the U.S. Senate. So there is a long road ahead… 

On the other hand, the introduction of a bill is itself a win! It means that members of Congress and their staff are paying attention to this issue, and Congressional attention can translate to media attention and enhanced media coverage. It means that there will be future conversations as the Congressional sponsors seek other co-signers and supporters. We at Cervivor, are in it for the long haul, advocating and  sharing our stories.

Hi, I’m Morgan

Hi There!

My name is Morgan Newman. I’m a metastatic recurrent cervical cancer survivor and Cervivor Ambassador located in Iowa. I am thrilled to be jumping onboard as the Community Engagement Liaison with the Cervivor team! I have been involved with Cervivor for nearly four years. Time sure has flown right on by! You see, I have been passionate about cervical cancer awareness and cancer prevention ever since I stepped foot into a Cervivor School session.

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I knew I had a voice, but I wasn’t aware of how I could amplify it to make a difference. Cervivor taught me what I needed to know, and I continued to grow with the organization. It helped me – become such a strong, informed advocate – eventually leading me into winning several awards. In 2018, Cervivor recognized me as the Cervivor Champion recipient. In 2019, I was recognized by the Iowa American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network as the Advocate of the Year and in 2020, I was awarded as Above and Beyond Cancer’s Advocate of the Year. I am truly grateful to wear these honors. For more of my cancer story, be sure to check it out here.

If you know about Cervivor, then there is no doubt in my mind that you know just how awesome the organization is. Really! I have seen this community grow and thrive since I joined in 2017. We take pride in what we do! Sure, we celebrate the big stuff, but we never forget to include the small stuff too! We focus on developing various programs and events for our community based on its current needs.

We all know how difficult last year was. Each one of us experienced some form of loss whether we acknowledged it or not. It was during our Cervical Cancer Awareness Month (CCAM) committee planning sessions this year that we really wanted to bring the focus of community and support into everything that we did. This warms my heart and drives my passion even further. I am a social worker by trade, and I can’t wait to bring my expertise to the table. I believe in the strength of a community. I believe in human rightsdiversity, and inclusion. I believe that we all have a story to tell, to be seen, to be heard, and how we, collectively, can make change happen. I know we can make it happen because we are already doing it. Ending cervical cancer is within our reach!

I welcome you to connect with me on my social media platforms. You can find me on FacebookInstagramLinkedin, and Twitter. If social media isn’t for you, contact me via email at [email protected]. I want to know what you like about Cervivor, what we can work on, and if you have any ideas you want to see come to fruition – Let’s make it happen! I want to hear from you!
 

Best Wishes,


Morgan Newman, BSW, MSW Candidate 2021
Cervivor
Community Engagement Liaison
& Cervivor Ambassador
2018 Cervivor Champion
2019 ACSCAN IA Advocate of the Year
2020 Above & Beyond Cancer Advocate of the Year
Read My Story Here