Project
REACH
Program
Planning Guide
Planning
Successful Cancer Education Programs for School
Employees
Gaining
Support of Administrators
Nationally,
health promotion programs offered at the worksite,
or sponsored by employers for their employees,
have been shown to reduce risks for targeted diseases
and health conditions, and improve employee productivity
morale. And the cost-benefits of such programs
outweigh the initial investment put into implementing
them. In the “Making a Case for Wellness”
section of their website, the Wellness
Councils of America identifies six reasons
for worksite wellness.
Despite
the benefits, many school employees say administrators
are not supportive of such education programs.
Table 3 includes common misconceptions about worksite
health promotion programs that keep many administrators
from supporting them. Administrators need to know
that supporting your cancer education activities
will have far reaching benefits for the school
system and will outweigh any initial costs.
By
supporting health education programs, the school
system demonstrates its concern for the health
of employees, establishes itself as a community
leader in key health issues, links schools and
employees with community resources and services,
and protects its investment in employee training
and development.
Administrator
support can open the door to expanded promotional
and planning opportunities, such as access to
photocopy services and meeting rooms, etc. Without
administrator support, it will be hard to sell
this program to other leaders in the school system
and could affect your ability to reach women in
your school community. If your key school administrators
do not yet know about your program ideas, make
the effort to acquaint them with your efforts
and officially invite their support or participation.
Before
contacting your administrators:
- Read
the basic cancer information
to make sure you understand the issues. - Read
the overview of Project
REACH again to make sure you can explain
what this program is and who it is intended
to reach. - Identify
the ways that involvement will benefit district/school,
and employees.
Involving Community Resources
and Experts
In
addition to recruiting a team to help you plan
a program, enlisting the support of community
resources and experts allows your audience to
receive the most up-to-date cancer information
and statistics and gives you the opportunity to
distribute the workload more evenly. Partnering
with community resources is important to:
Increase your knowledge of and access to services
or resources that will directly benefit the
women who come to your program (such as mammogram
and Pap test providers, transportation services).- Decrease
the expense of program planning by utilizing
existing services and resources in the community.
Table
4 includes a sample of key cancer resources that
will help you identify people with specialized
knowledge about your community and the women you
are trying to reach. Without representation from
key community organizations, local programs will
lack the most crucial element – linking women
in your community with resources and services
appropriate for their needs. However, the number
and level of local resources will depend on the
size of the program.
Many
people read and hear cancer statistics but continue
to think, “It will never happen to me.” Involving
cancer survivors in local education programs gives
a face to cancer survivorship. Their involvement
is a live testimony that many people survive cancer,
especially those who are screened regularly.
If
you choose to invite a cancer survivor to get
involved in your efforts, be prepared to share
the same information with them as with community
resource representatives regarding your intended
audience and the role you want them to play.
Whether
you are inviting administrators to write a letter
of support, community resources to exhibit, or
cancer survivors to speak, you should be prepared
to provide some basic information to them. Table
5 outlines important information that should be
provided to anyone invited to participate in your
efforts. In addition, Appendix 2 contains sample
letters and handouts that can be used throughout
the program planning process.
Regardless
of what you hope to accomplish in your school
community, remember that you don’t always have
to start from scratch. Planning an event to coincide
with major theme events such as Breast Cancer
Awareness Month (October), Cervical Cancer Awareness
Month (January) or Race for the Cure can be beneficial
to your efforts because:
- National
organizations sponsoring such events may have
promotional materials and planning kits available,
- Local
news and media are more likely to cover your
topic if connected to a national organization
or theme, and - People
are more likely to participate in a program
that is related to a national, well-recognized
effort.
The
National Health Information Center produces a
National
Health Observances Calendar that outlines
major health-theme months. Also consult with school
and community calendars, as well as religious
and federal holidays to ensure that your program
is not competing with other important events.
If
you are planning some type of event, think about
what will inspire people to attend, a great speaker?
A great door prize?
If
incentives will draw a bigger audience, consider
some of the following:
- Encourage
local merchants to donate free merchandise or
gifts as door prizes or in gift bags for participants,
- Ask
local clinicians/clinics to offer discounts
on early detection screening and follow-up services
for participants, - Offer
beverages and snacks or a light meal donated
by grocery stores and restaurants, or - Purchase
or borrow a breast model for use by school nurses
to teach breast self-examination.
Because
no program is successful without participants,
attracting them to your event is imperative. A
number of effective communication channels are
unique to school employees including: posters
and flyers, paycheck envelopes, employee mailboxes,
and bulletin boards, to name a few. However, it
is important to decide which means of communication
will reach the greatest number of people. Be sure
to use more than one channel to ensure that all
types of educational employees are included in
your outreach efforts.
There
will always be some costs associated with any
activity, even if it is a small photocopy expense.
Whatever your expenses are, try to estimate them
before you begin your program. Potential funders
will want to know approximately how much money
you intend to spend and how their money will be
spent.
Some
variations and changes to the budget you outline
will occur, but identifying your financial needs
in advance will help you avoid problems later.
Once you have estimated your costs, start exploring
funding opportunities early so you will not be
delayed by lack of financial support. Ask your
Association, school or other organizations for
financial or In-Kind contributions. “In-Kind”
refers to any donated product or service and are
often easier to get than monetary contributions.
Examples of contributed In-Kind items and services
are:
- Refreshments
for committee meetings, - Reproduction
of informational and promotional hand-out materials,
- Postage
for meeting and event notices, - Film
and processing to document/promote your activities,
and - Fees
for speakers.
NEA
HIN also awards small grants through the Vivian
Roy Bowser Cancer Education Fund.
Ready,
Set, GO! Developing a Workplan
A
workplan is a step by step outline of the major
tasks you must accomplish to implement your local
cancer education program. All elements of your
planning should be recorded in a workplan. This
will serve as your “blueprint” to planning by
outlining tasks and assigning responsibility for
each one. A workplan will also provide a record
of where you began and your progress throughout
the planning process.
Table
6 shows a sample workplan that will guide you
through the planning process. A blank copy is
included at the end of this section for your use.
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