New report: State could do more to prevent cancer deaths

Montana could do more to prevent cancer deaths, according to a recent report by a nonprofit that lobbies the goals of the American Cancer Society.

The annual report, distributed by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, shows where states stand on reducing chances of cancer incidence while increasing healthy lifestyles.

Each day, cancer kills roughly 1,650 people in the United States. Half of those deaths could be prevented, according to the network.

“That’s if everyone made the choice not to use tobacco, if there were screenings at the right time, or just having access to health care and a healthy lifestyle,” said Kristin Page-Nei, the network’s Montana government relations director.

In categories such as tobacco prevention and protective restrictions like indoor tanning, the network ranked states through colors: green symbolizes the ideal, yellow means more should be done and red indicates the state is falling short.

Kristin Page-Nei said Montana’s results were mixed.

For example, the state’s role in tobacco prevention funding was highlighted in yellow, meaning “there’s definitely room for improvement.”

This year Montana has set aside $6.4 million for state tobacco prevention funding. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that number should be $14.6 million,

Just four states — North Dakota, Alaska, California and Oklahoma — fell in the green category for coming close to the federal benchmark.

Page-Nei said “if there’s a political will to do it,” meeting the Centers’ recommendations “aren’t impossible.”

State Medical Officer Dr. Greg Holzman said Montana’s tobacco prevention efforts don’t get help from the state general fund. Instead, that money comes from the national Master Settlement Agreement with tobacco companies — a deal reached in 1998 for tobacco-related health-care costs — and grant dollars.

Holzman said he was disappointed when state lawmakers rejected an effort during the last legislative session to raise the tax on tobacco, which would have also applied to e-cigarettes for the first time.

Increasing tobacco products’ cost can stop people from picking up the product, he said. For those who do absorb the cost, he said those dollars could go back to the prevention program “to help the 70 percent of people who want to quit but are struggling to.”

It may be a long shot to get funding from the state added to that cause.

Montana revenues fell far enough below projections to trigger a $97 million cut in spending across state government. According to the Associated Press, the Department of Public Health and Human Services will have to cut at least $14 million over two years.

When it comes to state appropriations working toward breast and cervical cancer screenings, Montana matched 17 percent of federal funds, according to the report. Page-Nei said that placed Montana in the red.

The Montana Cancer Control Programs contracts with 13 local health departments statewide. According to the state health officials, between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017, the program helped 1,820 Montana women — 604 of which were American Indian women — access screenings.

Hillary Hanson, health officer for the Flathead City-County Health Department, said in recent years her department’s screening program has struggled to reach its number goals for the first time as more people receive care through the state’s Medicaid expansion.

“As a result, our role has shifted in screening program from to ‘let’s get you enrolled in the program,’ to also informing those people who have Medicaid who didn’t in the past what they can now access,” Hanson said.

The expansion brought more than 77,000 Montanans within reach of counseling for tobacco addiction as well as medication to wean off the dependency. In the report, the expansion pushed Montana in the green for access to Medicaid and in the yellow for tools that help people gain distance from their addiction.

Page-Nei said there are issues people in public health can continue to push, such as securing funding and legislative action for proven tactics to help people avoid unnecessary illness. She pointed to a failed attempt in the last legislative session to create indoor-tanning restrictions.

But she said there have been improvements. She described how Montana is developing palliative care standards, meaning people who get sick will have more cohesive help in what their treatment could look like.

Hanson also touted the state’s smoke-free laws and their impact.

“It’s started to shift our culture,” she said. “We can’t imagine walking into a restaurant anymore where people are smoking. A lot of work went into that.”

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.