Survivorship Team at the Penn State Health Children's Hospital Survivorship Program

The Survivorship Champion’s Prize recognizes excellence in post-treatment care serving the unique needs of childhood cancer survivors.

WASHINGTON, DC, DC, UNITED STATES, October 17, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Children’s Cancer Cause, a national nonprofit focused on childhood cancer advocacy, is proud to name the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Program at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital as the recipient of the 2024 Survivorship Champion’s Prize.

The $10,000 Champion’s Prize is awarded annually to a group, program, or institution making significant advances in programs and services to provide lifelong health maintenance for survivors of childhood cancers.

“In its review, the selection committee lauded the Program in several areas, including its model for health care transitions to long-term care after treatment, engagement of primary care providers, use of telemedicine, and its large rural outreach area,” said Children’s Cancer Cause CEO Steve Wosahla. “These services and resources offer a model of care for survivors of childhood cancers.”

There are approximately 500,000 survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer in the United States who face serious lifelong health risks as a result of their cancer and its treatment. By the age of 50, more than 99 percent of childhood cancer survivors have developed a chronic health problem, and 96% have experienced a severe or life-threatening condition caused by the toxicity of their treatment.

Despite these complex health challenges, half of survivors surveyed by Children’s Cancer Cause in the summer of 2024 don’t have a survivorship care plan in place to help navigate their long-term health needs. In this Annual Survivor Survey, 30 percent of survivors reported that they either don’t know their greatest health vulnerability (14%) or they’ve self-deduced their biggest health risk from internet research (16%).

Survivorship programs like the one at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital aim to ensure that survivors are empowered with knowledge about their specific health risks and monitored closely for late effects.

“Our multidisciplinary team is centered around providing holistic, personalized care, and our mission is to empower our survivors with education and comprehensive support. We are truly honored to be the recipients of this year’s Champion’s Prize,” said Smita Dandekar, MD, Director of the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Program at Penn State Health Children's Hospital, noting that Prize funds will help support a REDcap database of survivors to be used for current and future research, a virtual library on late effects, and an educational program focused on nutrition and its impact on cardio metabolic health.

The Survivorship Champion’s Prize is a component of the Stewart Initiative for Childhood Cancer Survivors, an educational program of the Children’s Cancer Cause. Since its inception in 2020, the Survivorship Champion’s Prize has awarded $95,000 to a total of fourteen prestigious survivorship programs across the country. The survivorship program at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital joins City of Hope’s Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship Program (2023), Phoenix Children’s Hospital Survivorship Program (2022), the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (2021), and Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers Long-Term Survivor Program (2020) as previous Champion’s Prize awardees.

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Founded in 1999, Children’s Cancer Cause is a leading national advocacy organization dedicated to creating a brighter future for children with cancer, survivors, and their families. Children’s Cancer Cause promotes policies and programs that aim to accelerate the development of safer, more effective cancer therapies for children and better address the unique needs and lifelong health challenges experienced by childhood cancer survivors and their families.

In September 2024, the organization released a statement calling on the greater healthcare system and provider community to do more toward the successful health care transition of childhood cancer survivors: Transitions in Care for Survivors of Childhood Cancer.

Steve E Wosahla
Children's Cancer Cause
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