Thursday, January 22, 2015

Bradley County Health Coalition Meets


The Bradley County Health Coalition held its monthly meeting January 21st on the campus of Southeast Arkansas Community Based Education Center adjacent to Warren high School.  The program consisted of a presentation by the Fay w. Boozman College of Public Health regarding efforts to secure a grant to conduct a cancer study in Arkansas.  The study would take a look at the causes of cancer in rural areas and consider the causes related to race.  This proposal would conduct research in 21 rural counties of Arkansas, including Bradley County.

On hand to discuss the project and seek help in securing the grant were Dr. Eric S. Johnson, Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the Boozman College and Dr. Lori Fischback also associated with the school.  Both individuals went over the mechanics of how the research would be carried out and specifically how it would need to operate in Bradley County.

About 43% of Arkansas' population lives in rural areas and the study would include 100,000 people with more detailed research conducted with 20,000 of the 100,000.  The grant is being sought from the National Institute of Health and would be in the range of a $40-$60 million endeavor.  The purpose is to find the causes of cancer and make efforts to prevent as much as possible as well as learn to better treat the disease.  Again, the focus is on rural Arkansas.

Should the grant be approved in 2016 plans call for around 5000 Bradley County residents to be asked to take part.  There will be stipends paid to those who take part.

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