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Get Screened digital ads launch August 1

​The paid online campaign will run through November.

The American Cancer Society’s Get Screened public awareness campaign will launch a paid media effort to raise awareness of cancer screening and encourage people to schedule their cancer screening tests starting August 1. The paid campaign will last through November 30 and feature a mix of ads on Facebook and Instagram. 

The ad buy is possible due to funding from sponsors of our overall screening initiative: Genentech (a member of the Roche Group), NFL, Pfizer, Merck, Novartis, AmerisourceBergen, and Roche Diagnostics. The entire campaign is expected to garner 57 million impressions and drive traffic to cancer.org/get-screened. The target for the campaign is adults 40+ as well as women age 25 and older for cervical screening. 

Also launching in August is a pilot paid media effort with the Hispanic Communications Network. The three-week campaign will launch August 9 and will target Spanish-speaking women age 25+. The mix of advertising will include digital and paid ads on social media channels as well as placement on LaRedHispana.org. The Hispanic Communications Network is known for their reach to the Hispanic market, especially women, and has been transcreating our Get Screened materials to have maximum impact with this audience. (Transcreation describes the process of adapting content from one language to another while maintaining the source content’s tone, intent, and style.) The campaign is expected to garner more than 5 million impressions and will drive traffic to cancer.org/revisate-ya. 

The Get Screened campaign is part of our comprehensive multi-sector movement to dramatically and swiftly increase cancer screening rates. 

Additional campaign assets are available for use locally to elevate the Get Screened campaign in both English and Spanish.  


  • ACS CAN featured in Engaging Black America Special Supplement

    ​Article co-authored by Lisa Lacasse urges equal access to clinical trials.

    The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is featured in the Urban One 2021 Engaging Black America Special Supplement issued today.

    Published by the largest media company aimed at reaching the reaching the Black community, the annual publication focuses on issues impacting Black Americans. It is delivered to members of Congress and features editorial content by lawmakers and sponsor organizations on issues such as health care and education. In addition, the publication is also featured across Urban One media network websites.

    In this year’s supplement, ACS CAN President Lisa Lacasse coauthored editorial content with Dr. Robert Carson, CEO of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), and Dr. Gary Puckrein, president and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), focused on the issue of increasing diversity in cancer clinical trials, especially among Black patients. 

    The editorial discusses this health equity topic and how it impacts cancer disparities, and calls on lawmakers to pass legislation that would help to offset non-medical costs for patients associated with participating in a clinical trial. Increasing diversity in clinical trials is a priority for ACS CAN, which is partnering with NCCN and NMFQ closely on this issue through the Elevating Cancer Equity project. 

    ACS CAN’s efforts to increase clinical trial accessibility for all individuals regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, income level, or ZIP code are part of its broader health equity advocacy work. In addition, an ACS CAN advertisement about this important issue is featured on the back cover of the supplement. 

    For more information on ACS CAN’s health equity advocacy work, visit fightcancer.org.


  • Nominations for top ACS CAN advocacy awards due by August 12

    Want to help recognize a volunteer, staff member, or lawmaker who has made a tremendous impact in making cancer a national policy priority? Then nominate them for one of the 2021 American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) top advocacy awards.

    ACS CAN is seeking nominations for its highest national advocacy honor, the National Distinguished Advocacy Award (NDAA). Nominees may be national or international leaders or advocates, including lawmakers and public officials, who demonstrate outstanding support of the ACS CAN mission in addition to creating change involving cancer policy on a national or international scale.

    ACS CAN is also looking for nominations for a variety of volunteer and staff awards. The volunteer awards are presented to those who most successfully advance the ACS CAN mission and volunteer structure in their own community. Staff awards are presented to staff members who have excelled in activities to advance and promote advocacy as well as ACS CAN both inside and outside the enterprise organization. 

    Below is a list of the volunteer and staff awards for which ACS CAN is seeking nominations. Additional details, including award criteria and nomination forms, can be found at fightcancer.org/advocacyawards. 

    Volunteer:

    • State Lead Ambassador (SLA) of the Year 
    • Ambassador Constituent Team (ACT) Lead of the Year 
    • State Advocacy Team of the Year
    • Emerging Leader Award
    • Volunteer Award for Excellence in Advocacy (VAEA)

    Staff:

    • Field Government Relations Professional of the Year 
    • Field Grassroots Professional of the Year 
    • National/Regional Professional of the Year 
    • State Advocacy Team of the Year
    • American Cancer Society Partner of the Year 
    • Alan Mills Award

    The deadline to submit nominations is Thursday, August 12, 2021. The awards will be presented during ACS CAN’s Leadership Summit and Lobby Day, which will be held virtually September 26-29. 

    If you have any questions, please contact Katie Riley, Associate Director, Advocacy Training and Operations, at katie.riley@cancer.org.


  • ACS CAN welcomes Missouri Supreme Court ruling

    ​ACS CAN will continue to work in Missouri to ensure Medicaid expansion is quickly implemented.

    On July 22, the Missouri Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit to force the state to implement Medicaid expansion.

    The following is a statement from Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN):

    “This ruling affirms Missouri cannot continue to ignore the will of the people and refuse to implement a program that will save lives in Missouri. Missourians prioritized public health at the polls in 2020 and voted for increased access to Medicaid to allow more than 275,000 Missourians to gain the comprehensive health insurance coverage the program provides. Research shows increasing access to insurance through Medicaid improves cancer outcomes. Extending access to this program also reduces health disparities and strengthens state economies. Because of today’s ruling, Missouri must move forward with urgency to ensure more individuals have access to quality, affordable coverage and are able to get the health care services they need to survive and thrive without any further delays.

    “ACS CAN will continue to work in Missouri to ensure Medicaid expansion is quickly implemented and in the 12 other states that continue to deny their residents who remain in the coverage gap access to this lifesaving program.”


  • Study finds significant screening disruptions at FQHCs

    Our NFL-funded project is helping health centers catch up.

    A new study finds that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to significant disruptions in breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer screenings among federally qualified health systems, spanning 15 states across the U.S. Among its authors is Marcie Fisher-Borne, PhD, MPH, MSW, managing director, Interventions & Implementation, for ACS. (Click here to watch Dr. Fisher-Borne talk about the study.)

    The postponed screenings have created backlogs that systems will need to address as health facilities re-open for preventive care, according to the study. Data were collected in August-September 2020, and the study was also published in the Journal of Preventive Medicine.

    Of the 22 systems in the study, 11 (50%) reported stopping cancer screening completely for the cancer type specified in their application since the start of COVID-19 disruptions. One center reported never stopping screening entirely for their specified cancer types. Over half of all systems reported enforced screening service disruptions/cancellations as a result of state or local COVID-19 restrictions. 

    The Cancer Screening during COVID-19 projects aim to help FQHCs resume cancer prevention services and catch up on missed cancer screenings to mitigate the impact of disruptions in care related to COVID-19 on cancer morbidity and mortality.

    The study shows that when clinics were asked about service disruption, there was not one unified picture, and different clinics even within the same state described different times when experiencing peaks in disruption of screening. Half of the systems were able to maintain home-based stool sampling testing for colorectal cancer without any disruptions. The study also found that 100% of the clinics switched to telehealth visits, and 100% implemented structural changes in the office, including waiting room protocols. 

    In 2020, the ACS and the National Football League (NFL) joined forces to offer a new funding opportunity called Cancer Screening during COVID-19, aimed at reducing cancer mortality disparities and alleviating the additional strain COVID-19 put on Federally Qualified Health Centers (FHQC). The NFL-funded program supports FHQCs' efforts to resume high-quality screenings for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer, catch up on missed screenings, and provide timely follow-up care. In the long-term, these projects seek to address the known disparities in cancer incidence and mortality and challenges with limited access to specialty care in under-resourced communities.

    “Without purposeful intervention, pandemic-related disruptions in preventive services may widen existing cancer disparities,” the authors write. “That is why partnerships like our COVID recovery screening project are critical, and ACS is honored to work with FQHCs to get back on track with screening.



  • A celebrity plug for Hope & Co bracelets

    ​Actress Vivica Fox tells People Magazine that one of her favorite things is a Hope & Co bracelet that benefits ACS.

    People Magazine recently featured actress Vivica A. Fox and her favorite style and beauty products – one of which is the new charity bracelet "Manifest Your Best" by Hope & Co benefiting the American Cancer Society! 

    The brand new relationship with the Rhode Island-based Hope & Co is managed by Amanda Leite and Michelle Wolf from the Northeast Region. Hope & Co's senior designer Jackie C. Kasun designed the new bracelet for the American Cancer Society after watching her grandmother battle cancer. 10% of the proceeds of each bracelet sold through December 2021 benefits ACS. View all of bracelets that support our mission.

    ACS Twitter accounts CancerNYNJ and ACSNewEngland gave Ms. Fox a shout out about the article – and she retweeted both messages to her 618,000 followers. Help share the love and retweet the message, too!


  • BrightEdge building momentum, attracts $1 million donor investment

    When the American Cancer Society launched BrightEdge – our donor-funded impact investment fund – in 2019, our goal was to build a sustainable source of financial support for our mission by investing in for-profit companies that develop cutting-edge cancer therapies and technologies, driving solutions for all patients to detect and survive cancer.  

    Today, BrightEdge has emerged from the pandemic and is going strong, demonstrating impact, realizing returns, and supporting technologies that align with our efforts to save lives from cancer.

    BrightEdge builds on ACS's rich history of leadership in cancer research and addressing healthcare disparities. The fund seeks to invest in promising science, entrepreneurs, and health care companies that are poised to translate today's most promising cancer-focused technologies into accessible solutions to improve patient outcomes. BrightEdge realizes returns on its investment when these companies go public or are acquired. Those funds can then be reinvested in BrightEdge and used to fuel ACS's lifesaving mission.

    BrightEdge is currently in a growth phase – building the fund through investments that will create sustainability for reinvestment in the organization. So far, the fund has made nine investments, realizing $9.14 million in gains, which have been reinvested back into the fund.

    BrightEdge has had a tremendous amount of momentum in 2021. In January, Alice Pomponio – a seasoned life sciences and impact investment executive and a former ACS Eastern New England Area Board and ACS CAN Board member – signed on as the fund's managing director. Already, she secured the fund's most significant external donor gift to date – a $1 million donation from PDB Foundation. This is the foundation's first major gift to ACS. $750,000 of the gift will support BrightEdge, with $250,000 supporting the American Cancer Society AstraZeneca Hope Lodge in Boston.

    BrightEdge has set an ambitious fundraising and portfolio performance target to help grow the fund to $100 million over the next three years. For more on BrightEdge, please visit www.brightedgefund.org or contact your staff partner. 


  • An appreciation of the Segal family; generosity runs in the family

    ​For more than two decades, Mickey and Lee Segal (pictured above) have selflessly advocated for our mission, and following in their footsteps are their son, Matt, and his wife, Aliana.

    Through their fundraising efforts and personal support, the elder Segals have raised more than $2.5 million, and their goal is to reach $3 million this year.

    Mickey Segal is a founding partner and managing partner of NKSFB, LLC, one of the largest business management firms in the country, with offices throughout Los Angeles and New York. Mickey and his wife, Lee, lead countless fundraising campaigns, with beneficiaries ranging from the Rose Bowl to American Cancer Society. This legacy of giving first started with their work supporting Little League Baseball in the 1980’s.

    “I grew up in a household that gave to the community,” says Mickey of his formative years. “The dinner conversations of giving back to the community resounded with me.” Mickey’s son, Matt, also a partner at NKSFB, and daughter-in-law Aliana are now continuing the family heritage of philanthropy as Mickey passes the torch for his most recent ACS fundraising project, the Magic of Hope campaign, to the young couple (pictured in the smaller image).

    “The American Cancer Society’s patient services helps people today, and the cancer research will help people tomorrow,” said Aliana. “My best friend had cancer, and now she is doing well. We wish that outcome for all cancer patients, and it is why Matt and I are proud to lead the Magic of Hope campaign.”

    Under the tireless leadership of Mickey and Matt Segal, the inaugural Magic of Hope raised more than $500,000 last year during the height of the pandemic, a critical time for ACS. In 2021, Matt and Aliana took the reigns as co-chairs, and set a goal of $525,000. An admirable undertaking for a young couple still in their 30s.

    The Segal’s are no strangers to cancer. Mickey’s daughter fought bone cancer as a teenager and completed her treatment with a successful outcome. Unfortunately, he lost his father-in-law to pancreatic cancer, and dozens of colleagues at NKSFB have battled the disease.

    Their family’s fundraising efforts to fight cancer extends to business colleagues, as well. NKSFB selected the American Cancer Society as the 2021 Charity of Choice for an annual Employee Giving campaign. 

    We thank both couples for their commitment to our mission, precious time, and generosity.


  • ACS CAN July 23 event will focus on health equity 100 years after Tulsa Massacre

    ​This virtual event focused on Medicaid is scheduled for July 23, 1 - 2 p.m. ET.

    The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) will be hosting a virtual event --Medicaid and Health Equity: 100 Years After the Tulsa Race Massacre -- on Friday, July 23, from 1 -  2 p.m.ET. 

    The event will focus on the intersections among racial violence, systemic racism, health disparities, and the importance of access to health care coverage. The discussion will center around the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre and how the destruction of the Greenwood district left a once thriving, self-sufficient Black community that had access to an adequate care system with little to no access to care and the health disparities that followed, still being felt today. The event will also highlight the importance of Medicaid expansion as one means to help address longstanding disparities caused by the massacre.

    The event will feature the following experts:

    • Kristi Williams, co-owner of the Real Black Wall Street Tour  
    • Jabraan Pasha, MD, assistant dean of student affairs at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine 
    • Councilwoman Vanessa Hall-Harper, Tulsa City Council District 1 
    • Lance Barbour, ACS CAN senior state and local campaigns manager 

    ACS CAN played a critical role in Oklahoma becoming the 37th state to increase access to health insurance coverage through Medicaid. Expansion of Medicaid in Oklahoma took effect on July 1, providing more than 117,000 people with critical access to health insurance coverage. This change took place one month after the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. 

    This free, virtual event is open to the public. Please register here and share the link with your networks. 

    The event is the third in a series on health equity through the Medicaid Covers US project. The project is aimed at creating a conversation about the Medicaid program and the role it plays in the health and well-being of families, friends, and communities. 

    If you have any questions, please contact Lance Barbour at or Katie Alexander. 

    TOP PHOTO: Kristi Williams,  co-owner of the Real Black Wall Street Tour, is shown taking Matt Glanville, the Oklahoma government relations director, and Paula Warlick, the Oklahoma grassroots director, on a tour of the Greenwood District. 
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