A Note from the Executive Director

 

Dear Friends,

 

The great author, Herman Melville, once said, “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” After staying to ourselves for much of the last two years, it was such a pleasure to see some of you last month IN PERSON at our first annual A Shot at Prevention luncheon. It was so wonderful to have the opportunity to see those of you who have supported this organization from the start and to meet those of you who are just getting to know us. The event would not have been possible without the enthusiastic support of our sponsors: O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, EBSCO Industries, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Children's of Alabama.

 

Special thanks also to our board members, Dr. Warner K. Huh and Tracie Richter for speaking at the event. Dr. Huh's presentation underscored the importance and efficacy of vaccinations in general and highlighted the dangers of vaccine hesitancy and refusal from a public health perspective. His words were an important reminder to us all of the challenges that lie ahead as we work to increase HPV vaccine uptake and ultimately prevent HPV cancers. Tracie's openness about her experience as a two-time cervical cancer survivor brought a face to the statistics we so often share about HPV-associated cancers. Her vulnerability in sharing her story reminds us all that these cancers can affect anyone. Our friends, our neighbors, and our families including our children and grandchildren.

 

As we head into June, which is National Cancer Survivors Month, I'm extra thankful for Tracie and others like her who help tell the story of HPV cancers. If you are a survivor who would like to help us spread the word about the impact a cancer prevention vaccine can make, please contact me at barbara.schuler5@gmail.com. 

 

Now that school is letting out for the summer, please encourage the parents of 9-12 year olds in your life to get their children to their well visits with their pediatrician and ask for the HPV vaccine. You never know whose life you can save by just mentioning the vaccine and its safety and effectiveness.

 

As always, thank you for your continued support. 

 

With Gratitude,

 

Barbara Schuler

Founder/Executive Director

 

P.S. If you're new to our mailing list and have missed prior editions of our newsletter you can now find them on our website.

 

 

Your gift will prevent HPV cancers for the next generation.

Board Member Spotlight

Ginna White 

VAX 2 STOP CANCER Secretary and Treasurer

 

Ginna White received her Bachelor of Science degree from Huntingdon College. She immediately began her career at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama serving in various roles across multiple departments for almost 30 years. In her current position as Department Manager of Healthcare Networks, Ginna is responsible for Program Development, eSolutions Electronic Data and Clinical Information Exchange, Provider Communications, and the Provider Solutions Center.

Why did you join the board?

I was asked to join the board by one of our Medical Directors at Blue Cross in order to represent this initiative from a health insurance standpoint. With my involvement in Provider Communications I can help ensure that this message is clear, accurate, and represents appropriate clinical guidelines.

 

What does the mission of VAX 2 STOP CANCER mean to you?

I believe the mission of VAX 2 STOP CANCER is to save lives. Barbara really put it in perspective for me when I heard her say, “If there were a vaccine for breast cancer, there would be a long line of people trying to get it.” It would be great if our community had this same reaction to the HPV vaccine.

 

What is the most rewarding part of being involved with V2SC?

It has been amazing to me to see the accomplishments from the work of this team.

 

What do you want the public to know about V2SC?

My hope is that the public can hear that HPV infections lead to 35,000 cases of cancer annually. The HPV vaccine could prevent over 90% of these cancers. It has been safely administered to over 100 million people. The vaccine’s safety record is backed up by over 12 years of intense research and monitoring. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the vaccine after it met stringent safety guidelines. Since approval, the FDA and public health officials have done many large-scale tests to check safety, effectiveness and monitor for long-term harm. This research has found no serious safety concerns.

 

Practice Spotlight

 

All About Kids, Montgomery

Nicole Sheffield, MD Pediatric Medical Director

 

We are located in Montgomery. We provide care for kids up to 18 years old from all socioeconomic backgrounds. We staff one Pediatrician and 3 Nurse Practitioners

 

How are you involved with the VAX 2 STOP CANCER program?

I coordinate instruction for staff on how to successfully recommend HPV vaccines

 

Why did your practice choose to participate in the program?

To help improve our vaccination numbers.

 

What have you learned from the program?

How to use motivated recommendations to get patients and their parents to accept the HPV vaccine.

 

What has been the most rewarding part of participating?

Watching our numbers improve with the skills we've learned.

 

What is one thing you want the public to know about the program and/or the HPV vaccine?

The program gives very helpful recommendations to improve vaccination numbers.

 

 

If you would like to refer a practice to our program, please email veronica@vax2stopcancer.org

 

Did You Know?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the HPV for all children beginning at age 9. They make this recommendation for several reasons:

 

1. The vaccine is more effective if given sooner. This is partly because preteens produce more antibodies after HPV vaccination than older adolescents do. The vaccine just works better with their immune system.

 

2. Kids are protected from cancer before they are exposed to the virus. Giving the vaccine earlier also means they can be protected well before they are exposed to the virus. That's what you want—because this is a vaccine that can actually prevent cancer.

 

3. There is no known downside to earlier initiation. The immune response is robust at younger ages, and there is no evidence of significant waning protection after antibody levels plateau approximately 18 to 24 months after series completion.

 

4. There is some evidence supporting earlier initiation. A retrospective study showed that adolescents who started the HPV vaccine series at age 9 or 10 were 22 times more likely to complete the two-dose series by age 15 than those who initiated the series at age 11 or 12 (St. Sauver JL, et al. Prev Med. 2016;89:327-333).

 

Read more about the rationale behind the recommendations here and here.

Video source AAP healthychildren.org

 

 

Partner Spotlight

This year on March 4th, International HPV Awareness Day, two of our wonderful mission partners launched their HPV Awareness Campaigns. While HPV Awareness Day has come and gone, these campaigns, the work of these organizations, and our own work last all year.

We are pleased to partner with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on their "Path to a Bright Future" campaign, which unites medical and public health experts, along with HPV cancer survivors and parents—all committed to raising awareness in their communities. You can learn more at the link above. 

We are also proud to support International Papillomavirus Society, IPVS, on their "Ask About HPV" campaign. This year's theme is One Less Worry. Click the link above to learn more.

HPV Fact

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 135 million doses of HPV vaccines have been distributed in the United States since they were licensed. Data continue to show the vaccines are safe and effective.