vaccination

Forward Focus for Women’s Health Week

In honor of the start of Women’s Health Week and for Mother’s Day, Cervivor kicked off the week with an open letter to young mothers going through cervical cancer treatment. Mother’s Day is a day that brings a lot of feelings up for us in the Cervivor community and it’s a reminder that motherhood is defined so differently for every single one of us.

The awareness week, May 8-14, 2022, is led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health to serve as a reminder for women and girls to make their health a priority. A sentiment that resonates with us from our Cervical Cancer Awareness Month campaign, Take Care of You in 2022.

This year’s Women’s Health Week theme is “Forward Focus: Achieving Healthier Futures Together.”

Now is the time to put an emphasis on scheduling those screening and vaccination appointments, to put your mental and emotional health first, and to maintain and cultivate relationships with friends, family, and ourselves.

How do we focus on building a healthier path forward?

Screening and Vaccination 101
Take the time to schedule your annual physical and other health appointments. Have a conversation with your medical care team about any vaccines or preventive care you may have missed due to the pandemic. Check off your list of preventive tests which include cervical cancer screenings, mammograms, bone density scans, stress tests, cholesterol screenings, blood pressure screenings, physical exams, and other health screenings. Don’t let the cost of preventive care stop you, there are several programs available to help with this.

Mental and Emotional Health
Make time to unwind and focus on things you enjoy. Finding healthy ways to help you manage stress levels like meditation, yoga, and reading can help maintain balance with mental and emotional health. If you notice changes in your mood, behavior, and thinking that cause disruption in your day-to-day life, check in with your medical care team for further assistance. You may also want to keep these resources in your toolkit for future reference.  

Nourish from the Inside Out
Eating a well-balanced diet can go a long way in a healthy path forward. Check out everything you need to know about healthy eating and dietary guidelines here. If you’re a cancer survivor and are looking to for support in leading a healthier lifestyle beyond cancer, join our private Facebook group Survivor Slimdown.

Friends and Family
Stay connected with your friends, family, caregivers, and community. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling, it can truly help things feel less scary.

These are just a few ideas worth pursuing for a healthier path forward. Are you ready to take action?

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

Text Description automatically generated

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

Graphical user interface, text, application, email Description automatically generated

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

Text, letter Description automatically generated

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.