Date:	March 17, 2008
Contact:	Briá Taylor (918) 561-1219

The Oklahoma Area Health Education Center at OSU Center for Health Sciences
Receives Lance Armstrong Foundation Grant to Support Cancer Research and Survivorship Initiatives

“Cancer Survivorship Education, A Community Experience” will help cancer survivors by offering free seminars that will provide helpful information and resources, offer a system for recording information and keeping everything organized, and share tips for communicating with one’s healthcare provider.

Tulsa, OK – OKAHEC (Oklahoma Area Health Education Center) at OSU Center for Health Sciences recently received a $150,000 grant from the Lance Armstrong Foundation to support the Cancer Survivorship Education program. OKAHEC was one of 20 community non-profit organizations across the country to receive LAF grants to support cancer research and survivorship initiatives.

The Survivorship Education program will be focused in rural Oklahoma where survivorship education and resources are scarce.  Cancer patients and their families, as well as health providers, will be taught how to better communicate with each other, and resources from the Lance Armstrong Foundation and from state agencies will be shared.

“With this LAF grant, OKAHEC plans to visit 24 rural communities in three years with educational programs and, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Comprehensive Cancer Network, will establish an ongoing cancer survivorship education infrastructure” said Richard Perry, State Program Director at OKAHEC. “We are thrilled and honored to be among such an extraordinary group of organizations that all share a passion for helping people affected by cancer.  This is the first community program grant given in Oklahoma by the LAF.”                                                          

The LAF awarded grants in five areas: practical issues of cancer survivorship; cancer pain, palliative and end-of-life care; physical activity and nutrition; survivorship education; and emotional support for people living with cancer. Each recipient organization completed a rigorous application process, and proposals were reviewed by a selection committee composed of cancer survivors and cancer community experts and advisors. 

 “Through its grant program, the LAF seeks to create a nationwide community of individuals and organizations that understand the challenges and opportunities a cancer experience presents for a lifetime – a community committed to collaboratively addressing the physical, emotional and practical issues faced by cancer survivors,” said Suzanne Kho, director of grants for the LAF. “We are pleased to award 20 organizations with grants that will inspire and empower people affected by cancer.”      

About The Oklahoma Area Health Education Center
The Oklahoma Area Health Education Center OKAHEC is part of the Center for Rural Health at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences.  OKAHEC is a community-state-federal partnership established in 1984 that coordinates a statewide network of area health education centers that facilitate a regional approach to multidisciplinary and community-based health education, training and recruitment of health professionals. OKAHEC coordinates its program goals with state health agencies, health professional training programs, practitioners, educational institutions, and communities.

About the Lance Armstrong Foundation
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) unites people to fight cancer, believing that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. We provide the practical information and tools people battling cancer need to live life on their own terms. We take aim at the gap between what is known and what is done to prevent death and suffering due to cancer. We engage the public at large to pursue an agenda focused on preventing cancer, ensuring access to screening and care, improving the quality of life for people affected by cancer and investing in needed research. Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the LAF is located in Austin, Texas. UNITE at LIVESTRONG.org.