News & Information
Department: Division of Health
The Fight Against Chronic Diseases Has Gone Regional
The Fight Against Chronic Diseases Has Gone Regional
The fight against the prevention of chronic diseases has gained a new resource with the newly formed Sussex/Warren Chronic Disease Coalition. This partnership was created with the merging of the previously known Sussex County Cancer Coalition and Warren County Cancer Coalition and now this group of community members, organizations and agencies will work together throughout the region to provide resources and educational programs concerning the prevention of not only cancer, but all chronic diseases.
Over the past five years, it was the Sussex County Cancer Coalition's mission to encourage healthy behaviors to prevent cancer and increase early detection to reduce the rates of cancer disease in the county. Now, the Sussex/Warren Chronic Disease Coalition will increase their focus to include activities regarding all chronic diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes, account for 70% of all deaths in the U.S and are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems in our country.
The Sussex/Warren Chronic Disease Coalition is made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Department of Health-Office of Cancer Control and Prevention (NJDOH-OCCP). The Sussex County Division of Health administers the grant for the region, in conjunction with Northwest New Jersey Community Action Partnership (NORWESCAP) a private, non-profit corporation with an interest in serving the low-income population of Sussex and Warren Counties.
Together, the Division of Health and NORWESCAP work efficiently to implement state and local initiatives outlined in the NJDOH-OCCP's New Jersey Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan in Sussex and Warren Counties. For more information on Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan in New Jersey, please visit, http://www.nj.gov/health/ccp/ .
The Sussex/Warren Chronic Disease Coalition has two Coordinators that are responsible for ensuring that all goals and objectives are conducted within the region. Four goals have been developed by the Coalition to concentrate on areas of need that have been identified by the state health department, including the creation of tobacco-free recreational areas to reduce the risks of second hand smoke; increasing the number of colorectal screenings provided in Sussex and Warren Counties; increase knowledge through education regarding the necessity of mammograms and breast self-awareness to decrease late stage diagnosis of breast cancer; and increase sun safety health literacy and behaviors to reduce the incidence of melanoma.
For more information on the Sussex/Warren Chronic Disease Coalition, please contact Helen Homeijer, at 973-579-0370. Additional resources on chronic disease prevention can be found by visiting the Sussex County Division of Health website, at www.sussex.nj.us/health and the CDC website, at www.cdc.gov .