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National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service:
A Public and Professional Resource

A program of the National Cancer Institute, the Atlantic Region Cancer Information Service (CIS), centered at Fox Chase Cancer Center, serves Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware as part of a national network of 14 offices.  The CIS is focused on building partnerships with organizations developing and/or delivering cancer-related programs to medically underserved communities.  The CIS Partnership Program staff are trained to assist organizations with program planning efforts to tailor education and outreach efforts to better meet the unique need of their communities.  By collaborating directly with those communities, we leverage resources and expertise and create the most likely environment for successfully addressing health disparities and the cancer concerns of specific communities.

NCI/CIS provides training on evidence-based planning tools such as Cancer Control P.L.A.N.E.T and Using What Works: Adapting Evidence-Based Programs to Fit Your Needs, a train the trainer course on planning a health program using research-tested interventions as well as a host of NCI programs such as the Clinical Trials Education Series, a program to educate health care professionals about cancer clinical trials and Body and Soul, an evidence-based wellness program for African American churches. 

Addressing health disparities and implementing cancer plans requires vision, skill, and collaboration, if you have not already met your NCI/CIS field representative, please do so today by calling 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) and asking for your regional NCI/CIS Partnership Program Manager.  If you are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Delaware, please call 215-728-3110 and ask to speak to your Partnership Program Manager. 

For Organizations
Many organizations currently serve communities with cancer related services.  These organizations work to save lives and reduce suffering by running programs aimed at reducing cancer risk, detecting cancer as early as possible, ensuring proper treatment, and empowering individuals with cancer to maintain the highest possible quality of life.  CIS supports such organizations by providing up-to-date cancer findings that can be put into practice. 

Program Planning and Evaluation

Evidence-based program planning plays a major role in our mission to reach minority and medically underserved audiences.  Through partnerships, we collaborate with organizations to develop comprehensive educational programming.  Partnership staff provides technical assistance by:

• Sitting on steering, advisory or planning committees or teams to help design, implement, and evaluate cancer control programs for health organizations and community based programs addressing cancer
• Providing NCI-approved health data and statistics useful for program planning
• Developing or reviewing educational materials that are culturally competent and easy to read
• Providing training to help health professionals address cultural competence and understand health disparities and diversity
• Finding experts for local or regional conferences
• Identifying grants and improving organizational grant-writing capabilities
• Linking organizations with similar goals and helping to build coalitions of organizations with similar cancer control and cancer education goals

NCI Planning Tools & Programs

Planning tools are practical information resources that the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI’s) Cancer Information Service (CIS) provides to organizations to help them achieve their cancer control goals.  Planning tools can take the form of books, databases, software (such as CD-ROMs), online programs, or other materials that help cancer organizations assess where they are, where they want to go, and how they can get there.  NCI’s CIS planning tools serve the following functions:

• Provide step-by-step guidelines for strategically planning and implementing health communications efforts
• Discuss ideas, frameworks, and theories that health organizations can use to solve planning problems
• Provide valuable overviews and background information on effective program  planning for cancer control
• Provide a picture of the current healthcare marketplace with health-specific data for geographical regions
• Clarify objectives, identify target audiences, and rigorously assess an organization’s mission
• Provide forms and samples of effective program planning materials
• Help arrange partnerships between organizations and the CIS for gathering
• information, ideas, and opinions on which program decisions can be based

Contact the Atlantic Region CIS

The Atlantic Region serves Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Program Director
Evelyn González, MA
E-Mail: Evelyn.Gonzalez@fccc.edu

Partnership Program Manager
Carrie Norbeck, MPH, CHES
E-Mail: Carrie.Norbeck@fccc.edu

Mailing Address:

Fox Chase Cancer Center
510 Township Line Road
Cheltenham, PA 19012
Ph: 215-728-3110
Fx: 215-379-1369

Important Numbers:

To speak with a Cancer Information Specialist:
1-800-4-CANCER
1-800-422-6237
E-mail: http://www.cancer.gov/help
http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/contactenos

The Smoking Quitline of the National Cancer Institute:
1-877-44U-QUIT