Comprehensive new cancer action plan targets ‘epidemic’ in state

House Speaker Shap Smith talks briefly at a gathering Thursday about his wife, who was diagnosed with breast cancer, and about how he and his family have struggled with the disease. Photo by Cory Dawson/VTDigger

[C]ancer survivors, public health advocates, lawmakers and others unveiled a broad plan Thursday to fight the deadliest disease in the state.

At its annual meeting in Montpelier, the group Vermonters Taking Action Against Cancer joined with the Health Department to announce the five-year plan, the fourth of its kind from the two organizations. Nearly 80 people representing more than two dozen stakeholder groups attended.

The plan outlines 18 goals, including cutting tobacco use in Vermont and increasing early detection of cancer. Many of the steps meant to achieve these goals focus on advocacy and public education. Some involve policy statements too, such as promoting widespread adolescent vaccination against the human papillomavirus, or HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer, and pressing for mandated insurance coverage for complementary and integrative medicine services.

“We have an epidemic in Vermont,” Health Commissioner Harry Chen told the crowd. Not just cancer, but heart disease, stroke, diabetes and lung disease can all be blunted if Vermonters improve their diet, cut out tobacco use and exercise more, he said.

These diseases account for half of all deaths in Vermont, Chen said. In 2007, cancer took over from heart disease as the leading cause of death among Vermonters, according to the new plan’s executive summary.

To illustrate the prevalence of cancer — a disease that 4 out of 10 American men and women will get in their lifetimes — Chen asked members of the crowd to raise a hand if they or someone in their immediate family had had cancer. Almost every hand went up.

House Speaker Shap Smith, who suspended his bid for governor in November because of his wife’s breast cancer, spoke candidly to the crowd about what the disease has meant for him and his family.

“It touches you in a way that you just can’t understand until you’ve been in it,” he said. “Until you actually have to sit there and talk with your wife or significant other, and say, ‘How are we going to tell the kids about this?’”

The 49-year-old lawyer praised everyone in the room for their work and gave special consideration to the “jewel” that is the University of Vermont Medical Center.

He also spoke about his close friendship with Chen, who he said “has been there every step of the way.”

“Bringing dinner and then doing the dishes, then leaving,” he said. “It makes you realize how much community and family, even if they aren’t family, you have.”

Smith, who acknowledged he was preoccupied with the ongoing debate over the budget and tax bills that won preliminary approval Wednesday night, shook a few hands and left for the Statehouse right after his speech.

“I have to go back and figure out what kind of shenanigans are going on,” he said to rousing laughter.