Background and History of the Summit
Six national sessions have been held across Canada since 1990. Each event has focused on issues related to community or non-institutional cancer control outside of the formal cancer system. A National Steering Committee comprised of representatives from provincial cancer agencies, the Canadian Association of Provincial Cancer Agencies (CAPCA) Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control (CSCC), the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and others, has provided advice and guidance to each local organizing group and assisted with funding and implementation. The first five Community Cancer Conference events were as follows:
1990 Winnipeg - Key issues in national cancer care delivery
1992 Edmonton - CQI and tools for improving quality
1998 Winnipeg - Cancer Care in the community
2000 Victoria - Physicians and Surgeons - Roles in Community Cancer Services
2002 Halifax - The Patient, The Family and the Volunteer
All of these conferences were successful in raising awareness of community based cancer issues and providing a forum for discussion. In 2004 the Conference organizers decided to adopt a new approach and theme. Changing the title of the conference to "Summit" helped to strengthen the purpose of the event. The theme for the 6th National Summit which was held in Thunder Bay in 2004, was designated as “Cancer Control in Northern, Rural, Remote and Aboriginal populations."
Building on the experience of the previous 5 conferences, the 6th National Summit on Cancer Control brought together a broad array of practitioners, volunteers, policy makers, survivors and caregivers to work together to identify the actions and strategies which could improve cancer control in northern, rural, remote and Aboriginal communities in Canada.
Research showed that the general health and particularly the cancer care delivered in these sites and to these people suffers as a result of access to services and providers, a lack of knowledge and a definite lack of focus on what comprises almost a third of the Canadian population. The ultimate objective was to create a national awareness and agenda for cancer control related issues in northern and rural communities.
The Seventh National Summit planned for 2009 will carry on with this overall theme focusing on several subtopics of interest including service delivery challenges, telehealth and communications strategies and the establishment of communities of best practice. Click here for a full list of topics.
